


Making Sense of It All

by Hazmat



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Jealous Harvey, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-07-14 13:27:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16041383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazmat/pseuds/Hazmat
Summary: Harvey brought Mike along to attend his brother's wedding.  There is one significant detail that his family failed to bring to his attention that throws him into turmoil. How will Harvey deal with this along with him realizing how deep his feelings run for Mike?"Also, if you have anything going on in this next week, you’ll need to cancel," Harvey added as an afterthought, already focusing on a new task of stacking papers on his desk.Now, Mike was pissed. "Harvey! You cannot interrupt my life like that without warning!"Harvey rolled his eyes, and asked derisively, "When have I not done that?"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first posted story. Let me know what you think?

Mike had been working in the filing room all day. He was close to finding the smoking gun in the Levinstein case when he heard a noise behind him. Kyle had been messing with him throughout the day, and Mike had enough. He, therefore, turned around, and was about to yell, and was stunned when he saw Harvey standing there, dressed casually with a twinkle in his beautiful dark brown eyes. 

Mike's mouth dropped open as his eyes raked over Harvey's body. He dressed in a white Henley; tan jeans, a pair of boat shoes and a trendy blue blazer that hugged him in all the right places.

"Close your mouth, Mike, the flies will get in," Harvey drawled.

Mike shook his head and cleared his throat and shuttered, " Harvey-”

"Save it, Rookie, come with me."

"But I’m not done-"

"Kyle will deal with it," Harvey said as he walked out of the file room.

"Where are we going?" Mike hastily followed him.

Harvey called out to Donna as he was approaching his office. “You got the-"

"Ready!" She responded before Harvey had the chance to finish voicing his request.

"Okay; then-" Harvey tried to ask, but again, Donna beat him to the punchline.

"I already put them on Kyle's desk. You are all set, and Ray will be here in about ten minutes."

“You are a Goddess Donna."

"No need to tell me. Just show me by buying me that new pair of Louboutin pumps." She winked

Mike looked at Donna and mouthed, "What's going on?”, but she just smiled knowingly, then shooed him in the office.

"Here, Mike," Harvey called the man, handing him a gym bag full of clothes. "I took the liberty of having Donna buy you some garments since we both know fashion is not your strong suit." Just as Mike was about to grab the bag, Harvey changed his mind. "Wait for a second," he looked into the bag, grabbing jeans, a shirt and a pair of shoes, ordering, "Put these on."

Mike looked flabbergasted.

"Also, if you have anything going on in this next week, you’ll need to cancel," Harvey added as an afterthought, already focusing on a new task of stacking papers on his desk.

Now, Mike was pissed. "Harvey! You cannot interrupt my life like that without warning!"

Harvey rolled his eyes, and asked derisively, "When have I not done that?"

Mike was about to open his mouth, but he knew Harvey was right. He would end up going, no matter how much he would protest.

So he gave in and kept his mouth shut.

"Now go get ready!" Harvey demanded as he stared at the clothes in Mike’s arms. Mike sighed, but left Harvey’s office and headed to the restroom.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Ray handed Harvey his coffee and greeted Mike, taking the bags from him and putting them in the trunk.

"To the car club, Ray." Harvey requested as he slid into the car.

"Yes, Harvey." His chauffeur responded, waiting for Mike to get settled.

"Harvey! Please tell me where we are going!?" Mike whined as soon as he plopped himself down on the seat next to his boss.

"We are heading close to Boston for a few days, then to the Berkshires for Marcus's wedding."

Mike was not sure what to say. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before speaking. Mike furrowed his eyes looking confused, "why are you taking me? I mean, shouldn't you have a date? How about Scottie?”

"You are coming because I have to deal with my family and that is very stressful. Enough said," Harvey grumbled. "Also, I have enough drama with them without having to add Dana to the mix."

Mike knew about Harvey’s mother’s infidelity when it was revealed one night out at a bar after Harvey had one too many shots of Macallan's Whisky. He was upset after complications arose with a client. Mike tried his best not to think much about it.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Mike rested his eyes in Ray's vehicle while waiting for Harvey to bring his explicit automobile from the car club. The revving of the engine caused him to open his eyes, and what a sight to behold. Harvey was sitting behind the wheel of a burgundy 1969 Ford Mustang roadster convertible. He had a wide grin on his face and looked gorgeous with the sun brightened golden highlights and the light breeze blowing his hair back. Mike could feel his pants tighten. _Oh boy, they were in for a long trip!_

They transferred their luggage to the Mustang and waved goodbye to Ray. Mike reflected with Grammys' passing; Trevor out of the picture, and Rachel being caught up with Logan, he had nothing going on. Mike was feeling somewhat better to be on the road, but he did not like having his life disrupted, but the fact that Harvey looked hot helped tremendously.

"You clean up good, rookie" Harvey looked Mike up and down. The way Harvey was eyeing him made him hot under the collar. Mike had never seen Harvey look at him like that, but Mike just played it off telling himself that he must have misinterpreted Harvey's look.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

They had been driving for a while when Harvey merged onto I-90. Until then they were making the drive in good time, but now the traffic was inching. What would have taken them four hours; was going to take seven hours or more now, The lady at the toll booth said there was an accident with a five car pile up. It was nearing nine o'clock, it had been a long day for both of them, and having to drive another two or more hours was too much. So, when Mike spotted a sign that showed hotel just ahead, they decided to stop for the night.

Everyone else on the road had the same idea as they did because when they got to the hotel they only had one room left, and it had a king sized bed. No doubles.

Mike groaned, but Harvey, with his signature grin, chuckled. "C'mon Rookie, I won't bite unless you want me to."

When they got to the room; Mike was staring at the bed as Harvey put his stuff down.

Mike groaned, but Harvey, with his signature grin, chuckled. "C'mon Rookie, I won't bite unless you want me to. "The older man then remarked, "Don’t worry, the bed is huge.” Then he winked; announced he was taking a shower and Mike did not imagine anything indecent at all!

Mike left the room on a mission to find a vending machine that supplied Redbull. When he got back to the room; the bathroom door was slightly cracked open. Through the door, he could see Harvey's backside and God that was a glorious sight to behold it was beautiful, firm, and round and-

Mike shook his head he should not be having these thoughts about his boss. Besides, he was not Harvey's type. Well, at least he didn’t think so, but the way Harvey had been acting- _it is all in your head_ , he kept telling himself.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t realized that Harvey had turned around, now with a towel around his waist, and he had a look on his face as if to say, _you like what you see?_

The rest of the night went by without incident until the morning. Mike woke up to find Harvey on the edge of the bed, and his limbs wrapped around Harvey. To make matters worse; his morning wood was knocking on Harvey's back door! He was having a hard time because Harvey smelled, well, so Harvey, which was a wonderfully intoxicating blend of Sandalwood soap and Harvey’s unique musky smell.

"Good morning rookie, I guess the bed was not big enough." he laughed. Mike jumped up. _How can Harvey be so relaxed about this?_

“Umm I am just going to pack up my stuff; we can get back on the road,” Mike said feeling flustered.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

They stopped at a quaint cafe down the road from the hotel. Mike breathed easier now they were back to their norm; pleased to find that their banter was intact.

A tall brunette waitress with pretty green eyes, whose name tag read Marlene, came to the table to take their order.

"You boys ready to order?”

"I am, ma’am." Mike perked up. "I want the Meat lovers breakfast, with extra pancakes and bacon, please."

Harvey rolled his eyes, “Unlike this walking heart attack,” pointing to Mike, “I would like the vegetarian egg white omelet, with a side of rice instead of home fries, and black coffee.”

Marlene just shook her head and was amused at the chemistry between these two men. She had to bite back a laugh as she walked away to place their order.

Later the waitress brought their meal to the table. Somehow, there was a mess up, and Harvey ended up with bacon on his plate. He tossed it onto Mike’s plate knowing there would be no argument. Mike smiled welcoming the extra meat.

Harvey gave Mike an incredulous look while shaking his head.

"What?" Mike admonished, “You don’t like bacon?

 _Pigs are filthy animals. I don't eat filthy animals._ Harvey drawled in a southern accent. 

_Yeah, but bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste good._ Mike followed up with a grin.

They both laughed. “Going all Pulp Fiction here,” said the waitress, giggling as she filled Harvey’s cup with coffee.

The rest of the meal filled with companionable silence. 

Before Mike left to go to the restroom, he went to leave money on the table for his tab, but Harvey shook his head. “I dragged you along, I pay.” Mike felt it was a fair compromise.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

They were on the last leg of their trip. Harvey was glad that he had left a day early in case of any hold ups because he was making it in time to settle in and have some alone time with just him, Mike, Marcus and Celine. His mom was flying in that evening; this gave him time to be prepared. His dad would be there either late that evening or early the next day.

Mike was starting to get nervous and could not ignore his thoughts and longer. He had never met Harvey's family. His dad, brother, brothers wife, and estranged mom were going to be there. He could only imagine how Harvey being around his mom was going to play out considering her history of infidelity and how Harvey had caught her in the act more than once.

From what Harvey revealed, the last time he saw her he made no qualms about how he felt. Harvey told her he did not approve of what she was doing and how he wanted no part of her life. The inevitable meeting between the two was going to be interesting, and that was an understatement.

Marcus lived in Brookline, MA; bordering the city of Boston. They drove up a long driveway to the house Marcus shared with his soon-to-be wife. The place was huge, set back in a wooded area. Harvey had called not long before they got there, so Marcus was already out the door as they were pulling up.

Marcus and Harvey looked alike, except Marcus had lighter hair and light blueish eyes in place of Harvey’s deep brown. Also, Marcus was an inch shorter and a few years younger. Harvey looked like a white-collar worker while Marcus looked like a blue-collar worker; both were attractive.

They lived in a beautiful gray two-story house where Marcus being an architect renovated and expanded to look more modern. Marcus was always a sucker for fixer-uppers, and by the job he had done one would think the house was brand new. He had added on to the original home; changed the structure and where the home once had a dozen windows it now had over thirty.

The front of the house had a porte-cochère with a wide double-entry door. The inside was decorated tastefully with pristine mahogany hardwood floors, accented with blue and white furnishings to offset the dark. The home is the perfect balance of light and dark and managed to be both homey and fancy at the same time.

The home was just right for this weekend because it housed ten bedrooms and with all the family coming, they would need the extra room.

As soon as Harvey stepped out of the car; his brother grabbed him in a bear hug and kissed his cheek. Harvey tried to fight it at first, but soon he accepted his brother’s hug before he pulled back right away.

“Hey, older bro!”

“Might be older, but I still look good.” Harvey smiled deviously and winked at Mike.

"Damn, where are my manners?” Marcus said as he walked over after noticing Mike.

Harvey piped up, "This is my associate, Mike Ross."

Marcus smiled warmly at him then Mike stuck his hand out, but instead of taking his hand Marcus grabbed him in a hug, telling Mike how he felt like he knew him because Harvey talked about him all the time. Harvey was not impressed with his brother divulging this information.

Mike looked at Harvey, smiling brightly, the smile that made Harvey's heart skip a beat, then stuck his tongue out and said, “I knew you cared!"

"Harvey rolled his eyes and said, “Don’t think you’ll be moving into Wayne manor anytime soon.”

Mike kept on smiling and singing, _You want to hug me- You want to kiss me-_

"Miss Congeniality? Seriously?” Harvey said, then glared at his brother as if to say, _look at what you started._

Mike ignored him and kept singing.

“C'mon, Celine is preparing the trimmings and side dishes to go with the Hamburgers. I need to get them on the grill.”

Mike grinned and looked excited as he followed the brother.

Harvey turned to Mike, "You would get excited about food."

“What?” Mike said innocently. "I love food."

"You love peasant food" Harvey grumbled.

Mike piped up and started to sing again, and that shut Harvey right up, but the lawyer could not help the smile that was forming on his face.

“Oh my God! Look who the cat dragged in!” Celine exclaimed, coming up to them as they made their way into the large kitchen. The room had an island in the middle with a chopping block and pans hanging above. There was a breakfast bar over to the side with five stools by the large bay windows looking over the well-groomed six-acre yard.

“This is my associate, Mike.”

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

It was a beautiful day, and the picnic tables already set up outside. On top of that; there's not a cloud in the sky and, the sun was shining brightly.

The food was delicious. A smorgasbord of Hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, potato, macaroni salad, and an assortment of pop and all the condiments a person could want.

“At first I thought this might be too much food, but then I remembered Mike was here,” Harvey said with an amused smile.

Mike pretended he was shocked, but then he broke out in a big grin and went over to the table to pile food on his plate. Harvey dug right in, and Mike looked at him. He was about to tease the man back, but Harvey spoke up before he had a chance.

“I treat my body well so I can afford to dive into treats like this once in a while.” Mike could not argue with him there. Harvey is a fine specimen of a man.

Just as they finished the meal Marcus' cell phone rang and he excused himself to answer the phone. He came back a few minutes later announcing that his mom and dad were going to be late. The airport delayed the plane, and they would not be there until the next day.

Harvey raised his eyebrows in surprise at his brother and inquired, "Mom and dad are traveling together?" Marcus had this look on his face, and Harvey realized he missed something.

"Well, yes, well- you see...," Marcus looked guilty.

Celine spoke up, "Are you serious; you never told Harvey?"

Harvey was growing impatient.

Celine blurted it out. "Your parents are back together!"

Harvey was in shock. His mouth hung open; then anger took over. "This is bullshit!", Harvey roared standing up from the table.

Harvey realized by the look on Celine's face that he was over the limit, he then apologized to her and got up and left, mumbling that he needed some air. Marcus tried to follow him, but Celine gently touched his arm and said to give him some space.

Mike also wanted to follow Harvey, but he knew how the older man got when he was stressed, and it was better to let it be. Harvey just needed time to cool down.

'Sorry for the drama, Mike," Celine apologized. She went to explain more, and the young man gently stopped her.

“I understand," Mike said softly.

Mike, Celine, and Marcus talked for a while about Marcus’s job and their upcoming, nuptials. The weather was heating up, and he was starting to feel very hot. Sweat was forming on Mike's brow; Celine noticed and said "we can move inside or you can use the pool. We have guests over all the time, so we have bathing suits in the closet in the pool house, I’m sure there’s something that would fit you.”

He was going to object, but Marcus spoke up, “You are our guest, and we really would like to accommodate you. I want you to feel comfortable in our home." Mike needed to burn off some energy and tension since being in the car for days. Also, he didn’t have his bike to use for relief, and the situation with Harvey was stressful, so he agreed.

"We would join you, but I need to clean up some and Marcus has some phone calls to make," Celine explained. Mike was about to say he would help, but Celine waved him off and demanded that he enjoyed the pool.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

He found some swimming shorts that fit him, and he went in the pool. It was not an Olympic sized pool, but it was good enough that he could swim some laps. As he cooled down and could feel the tension fade away; he realized how much he needed this.

He swam a few more laps and decided it was time to get out of the pool.

Harvey was coming back from his walk the exercise helped him calm down, but he was getting hot. As he headed back from the path in the forest, he was taken aback by the view he saw; Mike was getting out of the pool, all wet with his spiky hair slicked back. Harvey licked his lips unconsciously.

The blondes beautiful blue eyes sparkled, as the water ran down his hard chest to his firm abs. He was perfect, and the sight took Harvey’s breath away. Having a hard time thinking, Harvey needed to diffuse this situation. Harvey snuck around and pushed Mike back into the water, the younger man yelped. Once Mike realized what happened, he splashed Harvey back. With a grin, the older man went towards the pool house to get some swim trunks, then came right out.

Harvey is beautiful; his body is naturally tanned and toned, but not hard. His chest and shoulders are broad; he had a subtle amount of hair that leads from his navel down into his swimming trunks. His hips are V-shaped. Needless to say; Mike had a hard time not gawking at him, and Harvey loved every minute of it.

Harvey knew when he invited Mike, the younger man was attracted to him, but he had no idea how much or if Mike had been with a man before. He could not help to notice how Mike was still staring at him. The attraction was mutual, but he was doing his best to maintain the professionalism between the two of them. It seemed to get harder since this trip.

On top of that, he was feeling stressed about his parent’s situation. He couldn’t seem to accept the fact that his dad would take back his mom, after all, she had put him through.

The situation was hard for him to work out in his mind. His dads a great guy with a heart made of gold, and his mom had stomped all over it. The fact that his parents would not be there until tomorrow is a good thing because he needed this time to prepare himself mentally for what was to come.

While Harvey was caught up in his thoughts, Mike snuck out of the pool, grabbed a noodle and jumped back in to whack Harvey with it. The older man grabbed him and dunked him under the water. The pair went back and forth horseplaying for a while until they were so wrinkled from the water that they looked like prunes.

Mike got out of the water first and offered Harvey his hand; their eyes met, and Mike shivered, but it had nothing to do with the cold water. He could tell Harvey felt something too. They could not seem to pull their eyes away from each other.

They both leaned in towards each other, Mike’s heart was beating out of his chest as he felt Harvey’s soft lips brush against his. Just then they heard Marcus, in the background, calling them he was bringing it to their attention that dinner would be ready in a half hour. It startled them which broke their connection; they silently finished getting themselves the rest of the way out of the pool: dried off then headed towards the house.

Arriving back in the house they grabbed their bags, then Marcus showed them to their rooms while Celine cooked dinner.

Mike and Harvey’s rooms were right next to each other with connecting doors. They both had queen size beds with a great view of the landscape. Harvey's room came equipped with a bathroom and shower in it. Harvey took a shower first.

Letting out a deep breath after he shut the door Harvey was relieved to have distance from Mike. He was not sure what was happening; one hand, he wanted to be with Mike, but on the other, he was still not sure what that meant. He did not want to mess it up by acting too fast. There was a considerable amount to ponder about, with him being the boss and the younger man his subordinate. Ethically, this was wrong, but he could not help how he felt. Mike was a whirlwind in his life, with his soft heart, always wanting to help others, so eager to please. In addition to everything else, he had a beautiful mind. A gorgeous body; striking blue eyes; and rosy kissable lips did not hurt either. With those thoughts, Harvey jumped in the shower and adjusted the dial to cooler than he usually chose.

Mike was in the other room pacing. He thought to himself; _I almost kissed my boss! Shit, shit, shit! He almost kissed me_. Alright-alright-I need to calm down. Mike took a deep breath then breathed out slowly. He was attracted to Harvey from the get-go. When Mike walked into his office and saw Harvey, it was over for him. As time passed, he had a glimpse of the man behind the mask, and he started to fall in love with him. Harvey challenged him and pushed him to be the best. He owed Harvey. Mike would not be who he was today; had it not been for Harvey's involvement in his life, and he knew he would not be okay with a one night stand with the older man; that would wreck him. Having engaged in many one-night stands throughout the years, but with Harvey, this was different.

He was not sure what to do, but he knew if anything was to happen; he would need to talk this out with Harvey. 

There was a knock, and Harvey stuck his head in, “Showers all yours.”

Mike was glad that they were not addressing the almost-kiss because he needed to come down from the intoxication that was Harvey.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey has a lot to think about and things are heating up between him and Mike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and kudos. They are deeply appreciated.

Later, that evening they were all seated at the table for dinner eating spaghetti and meatballs. "Pass over the garlic bread" Marcus called. Mike handed it to him, then, after he took some for himself. 

The air was still tense, but the walk and the activity in the pool had mellowed Harvey. He knew it was time to have a conversation about, what had happened earlier, that day.

Swallowing his bite of Spaghetti, Harvey spoke up. "Listen, Marcus. I know this is a special time in your and Celine's life and I know you're aware that I am not happy that you kept this information from me-"

“But-” Before, Marcus could say more, Celine put her hand gently, on her fiancé's arm.

The older brother spoke up again. “Please Marcus, let me finish, I promise I am not trying to cause any more chaos.” Marcus visibly, calmed down from Celine's touch and put his hand over hers.

"As I was saying. I am not happy that you kept it from me," Harvey went on being as calm as possible.

Marcus refrained from speaking up.

"And foremost I am upset that our parents are back together, especially after she-.” Harvey restrained himself, cleared his throat then, continued, “but I want to enjoy this time with you and I am honored that I get to participate in yours and Celine's wedding.” Harvey's eyes lit up and crinkled as he smiled remembering what this week meant to his brother and Celine.

Marcus relaxed more, both he and Celine smiled. 

Mike loved seeing this not, so often, displayed, softer side of Harvey.

Harvey got up, grabbing more, wine. He looked back at Celine and raised his eyebrow. 

"Yes, Harvey. I can have wine, I’m not pregnant yet, I know that for sure. This week has been hectic with work and all the preparations we’ve been doing for the wedding, we haven’t been able to- you know..."

Mike blushed. 

"That is unbelievable,” Harvey huffed. “You two can never keep your hands off each other,” he teased.

He explained to Mike that he was getting them carrots for a wedding present because they were like rabbits _going_ at it all the time. Marcus reached over and punched Harvey in the arm, but he could not keep the grin off his face while doing it. Mike laughed at them.

"Okay," Harvey said as he was refilling their wine glasses, "I want to make a toast." Harvey raised his glass, and everyone followed, "to both of you, having a wonderful life and lots of bunnies- I mean babies." Harvey chuckled. They all burst out, laughing. So far, the evening turned out, great.

Celine piped up, "let’s have dessert, Marcus?" 

"Yes.” Marcus smiled softly, at her. 

“Can you please go out and start the fire?”

“Yes dear,” he said smartly, as she swatted his butt. On the way out, he winked at her. “Mike, can you grab the marshmallows and chocolate on the counter, along with the Graham crackers and bring them outside.

Harvey went to go with him, but Celine tugged his arm discreetly letting him know that she wanted him to stay behind. 

Mike looked at Harvey and asked, "You coming?”

“Yes, I will be there in a minute.” 

"See you out there," Mike said with a look Harvey could not, quite, decipher.

After watching Mike walk away, he turned back to Celine and she gave him a knowing look.

“You like him, don't you, Harvey?” 

"What?" Harvey exclaimed, caught off guard.

"C'mon Harvey! I saw you both at the pool and the look you gave that boy, whew! It could melt butter in an igloo!” She squealed. Besides, Marcus says that when you two talk to you almost, always, mention Mike." 

Harvey had to laugh. He wasn’t sure what he felt for Mike, but he knew something was developing.

"Yes, but I complain a lot too and- okay, is it that noticeable?" Harvey grumbled.

"If it were any more noticeable, Harvey you would be covered in neon signs.” She smiled.

"I know Mike is attracted to me, or at least I think he is. Also, he’s never mentioned any men and since I’ve known him, I’ve only known him to be with women. He did lean in when I attempted to kiss him." 

"Wow," Celine burst.

"Yeah, well my damn brother interrupted us. But, I’m not, sure if that was a bad thing because I am his boss." Harvey took a breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "Mike is... He is, or shall I say, he has a huge heart. He also helps everyone, and when he looks at me with _those_ blue eyes, there's nothing I wouldn’t do for him. But at the same time, he drives me up the damn wall. He's always, making me question myself and my motives. Before Mike, I never used to do that, I win cases, I am the best damn closer!” Harvey frustratingly runs his hands through his hair again. “I get it done no matter what, I make things happen! Then, Mike goes the extra mile not, just, making it happen, but to make sure it works out, for the best for all involved. He balances me as I balance him from making choices that end up hurting him because of his Goddamn bleeding-heart syndrome! I hate to admit it, but he has softened me, in ways, I am still discovering, and if you tell anyone I will deny it to my grave." 

They both laughed. 

Celine smiled and looked into Harvey's eyes. 

"You love him."

"Well, I wouldn’t go that far." Harvey snorted.

"No, you love him,” Celine stated. “The way you talk about him, the look in your eyes, you're a goner." 

Harvey gave up all pretext, Celine read him better than anyone he knew, even, Donna. It also, helped that she had known him since when he was still living at home with his parents.

"I have fought this for a long time...I denied it..I..uh...am. I am afraid I’ll fuck this up. Because of my mother, I have some serious trust issues.” Harvey inhaled deeply, then, exhaled slowly, all the way. Doing his best to process all the revelations. Harvey Straightened himself out, he needed control of himself. He was Harvey Specter for damn sake! At least that's what he kept telling himself.

Harvey loved talking to Celine because he could be himself with her and he wasn't afraid. He didn't have to hide his feelings, and even, if he tried she saw right, through all his bullshit, but he was still felt conflicted, so he welcomed the interruption.

"Hey!" Marcus yelled from the door "You coming out or what?" 

"Yes, sorry sweetie. Grab the wine Harvey, I’ll grab the glasses.” Celine ordered.

As Celine made her way out, towards the door, Harvey caught her attention and looked at her with kindness in his eyes. He did not, need to say the words. She already, knew he was thankful.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

"No way! You did not! Seriously, Marcus?” Mike all but shouted. 

“Harvey, I hope you got pictures," both Celine and Mike chimed at the same time.

Celine and Mike looked at each other and busted out, laughing.

"Remember, this was back before cell phone cameras." Harvey grinned.

"Hey, I looked good back then," Marcus snorted. 

"You still do," beamed Celine wiggling her eyebrows.

"Someone’s getting tipsy," Marcus singsonged as he kissed, his soon,-to-be wife, on the cheek. Celine giggled.

"Well, I’ll tell you what, seeing Marcus naked in the subway station will forever be burnt into my memory. I can never wash that image away!" Laughed Harvey, pretending to shiver.

“I am still amazed I made it out of there in one piece, Marcus snickered then turned to Mike, "How about, you? Do you have incriminating evidence of your youth?" 

Harvey burst out laughing, interrupting Marcus. "Youth? He’s still a spring chicken."

Mike stuck his tongue out at Harvey. "Yes, compared to you old man, everyone is a spring chicken."

Harvey wanted to be offended, but the wine had him feeling fine, so he just half glared and then laughed.

“Mike, you still need to spill some of your adventures,” Marcus winked. 

Mike was feeling quite, buzzed. He remembered everything, so this wasn't hard at all.

“Okay,” he started. “When I was thirteen, I had a major crush on this person that lived in a house at the end of a street that I frequently walked by. Well, that day I was hanging out with Trevor, and he got this new hair gel and he put it in my hair and it looked really good. I was dressed in one of Trevor's nice shirts and I was feeling confident. It was kinda drizzly that day, and there were a lot of puddles. Across the street from the front of the guy’s house, there was a parking lot that had a chain blocking cars from entering. The guy I had a crush on-” 

Harvey looked up at him, surprised that he mentioned a male as his first crush. He always, assumed he was straight, but had wondered if he could be bisexual because of how he reacted to him or it is situational. 

Mike continued, “-had big bay windows where he had a clear view of the parking lot. I strutted by the best I could, hoping he was there. I was trying to be discreet in my attempts to get a peek, but I wasn’t sure if he was looking, or if he was even home. Well, as I swaggered, trying to pull off the best look as possible, I reached the chain, which wasn’t that high. So, I tried to jump over it and face planted right into a puddle. When I got up, I noticed him and his friends laughing at me through his window. I wanted to die!”

"Ohh, that is terrible Mike!" Celine tried to look as sympathetic as possible, but she was trembling so much from trying hard not, to laugh. Finally, the laughter spilled out, as she drank her fourth flute of Dom Perignon, causing her to her snort.

Marcus patted Mike on the shoulder and said, "Man, you take the cake! You have redeemed yourself, now we have incriminating evidence on you too," he chuckled. 

Harvey laughed some but was still amazed that Mike’s first crush was a guy. This gave him more, hope. Even, though he constantly, had to fight down the voice that told him to blow the whole thing off. 

Celine brought Harvey out, of thoughts when she yawned loudly, swayed and then, giggled. Marcus spoke up and, “I think someone had a little too much tonight,” Celine tried to look irritated with him, but broke out, in a fit of giggles, then, did her best calmed down, so she could speak. “ I ca hanle my..mmm...boo. Celine slurred. “ 

Harvey and Mike could not help to laugh at Celine. Her eyes were glossy and she looked like she was about, to fall over. Marcus preached, “sure you can” with an amused smile. “This reminds me of when we went to the high school party and you only drank three beers. You ended up wandering off, while I was talking with Mark Jacob, and went back to my truck. I looked everywhere and when I found you, you were passed out in the front seat! You always were a lightweight where booze is concerned.” Marcus snickered.

Celine wanted to protest, but she could not, seem to get her thoughts together. Harvey piped up, “I remember that night well, I was home visiting that weekend and you left your keys with Celine because she always wore that fanny pack. Somehow, I can only imagine…,” Harvey teased, “Celine lost her fanny pack and I was the one to pick you two up at the party at two am Because…” A flash of anger then, sadness crossed the older man’s face before, he schooled his features. “Mom and Dad would have had your tail if they found you in your drunken state. Then I had to drive back to Pearson Darby the next morning” Harvey looked irritated just, mentioning the man’s name. Darby had caused so much trouble. “To say the least I was not thrilled,” but the smile on Harvey’s face took the sting out, of the words.

As he sat back, Mike listened to the story he couldn’t help having some compassion for Harvey, wondering what it will be like when the older man’s parents arrive.

“Alright, I need to get her to bed,” Marcus spoke looking at Harvey and Mike. Celine was leaning back against the chair drifting off. “Okay, here we go,” Marcus said as he lifted his fiancée out, of her chair. “Goodnight Harvey, goodnight Mike.” He started to leave. “Oh by the way,” Marcus turned again to look at them. Harvey stuck his hand up before, Marcus could continue. 

“I will make sure the fire pit is out and lock up the house. Do not worry.” With that, Marcus started to make his way towards the house when Celine tried to look back mumbling something about, fresh towels. Marcus was not, worried Harvey been to house many times throughout the years and knew where everything was. 

Both Harvey and Mike Chuckled at the scene of Marcus helping Celine. She kept trying to walk on her on, but she finally, gave up letting Marcus steer her towards the house.

And then, the awkward silence began Mike was staring at the fire pit, poking his smores stick into the ashes, doing everything he could not, to look at Harvey. Because; he knew if he did he would be able to resist looking. Mike was feeling pretty tipsy right, now, and with all the sexual tension he knew he would cave real easy.

While looking back to the direction Marcus went, Harvey spoke up. “I guess this will be another night that there will be no sex for them.”

Mike couldn't help to laugh at this. “Yeah, she was pretty intoxicated.”

More, silence. Neither man wanting to address the obvious, or whatever that was going on between the two of them.

Harvey felt out, of sorts. He had no problems picking up men or woman for that matter, but when it came to Mike he felt somewhat, nervous. Sure, he flirted with Mike during this trip, but after his conversation with Celine, he was feeling vulnerable. It was really, starting to sink in that he might be falling in love with Mike. Holy shit, that thought scared the hell out, of him. How did that happen without him knowing?

Mike had fantasized about, Harvey more, times then, he cared to admit and he was exhausted from fighting his attraction to the man. Mike finally, looked over to Harvey. The man was in deep thought, Mike could see the flames from the fire pit dancing in his eyes. They were beautiful.

Harvey could sense Mike looking at him so, he looked up, unconsciously, licking his lips. They stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity, even, though it was only about thirty seconds. 

Next thing Mike knew he was over by Harvey. He didn’t even, remember, going there. The brunette was sitting on a cushioned lounge chair and before, the younger man could think further, he was straddling the older man.. Harvey, shocked, especially, since always, being the aggressor, quickly got over it and grabbed Mike by the back of the neck smashing their mouths together. Neither man could get enough of each other. Mike started to grind himself down on Harvey’s lap. Their hands were roaming all over each others body and things really, heated rapidly, but then, Harvey stopped abruptly, cupped Mike’s face, thumb running smoothly, over his jaw. Looking into his eyes searching for what, he was not, sure. Then, just, as quickly, as he had stopped things started again and Harvey was kissing him while pulling his shirt over his head, then, running his hands all over his bare back. Mike’s skin felt glorious and he did not, think he could possibly, get harder. 

Taking in the unique smell of Harvey’s skin, the taste of his delicious, mouth, and the feel of his chest under his fingertips, _Oh-God, the feel of his chest_ , Mike was out, of his mind with want, he could hardly, breathe. Everything about, the man was so intoxicating, filling Mike with so much desire. He pawed at the man's shirt doing his best to divest him of it. Harvey helped him pull it over his head. Mike's breath caught at the view before, he quickly, licked and nibbled at Harvey’s skin. Harvey's hands made their way down to the button on the younger man’s jeans and Mike stopped what he was doing to looked into Harvey’s eyes, that were filled, with lust. The older man grabbed Mike’s hands and brought them down to the younger man’s zipper. They started to unzip all the while Harvey was still looking into his eyes. The lust filled man wanted to crumble, push his hips up, anything- because he was so turned on, he moved his ass up quickly, so Harvey could maneuver his pants down. Mike was dying of anticipation, he felt Harvey slip his hand in his briefs, he couldn’t believe this was happening and then, like a bucket of cold water they heard Marcus yell, in surprise, as he tripped over something while trying to sneak away, unnoticed. 

“Fuckkkkkkkk,” was all Harvey could say. Mike buried his head in Harvey’s chest while trying to get his breathing under control. He was hoping he could burrow himself there and hide.

“Sorry, Celine said she left her-”

Harvey interrupted him. “Enough!” He said with a growl. “I do not need to hear the rest, just go please.” He did not care this was his brother’s home he was beyond irritated with him. This was the second time he interrupted them. He knew he was being irrational, but he could not help himself. 

“Goodnight again,” Marcus said sheepishly, and left, before, they could answer.

“I guess we should go to bed,” Harvey surmised. Now, that the adrenaline was wearing off and doubts were creeping in.

Mike, surprised, disappointed, and hurt that Harvey would so easily, dismiss him heaved himself off of Harvey’s lap. Tugging his pants up and fixing himself he retreated back to the house without saying a word while Harvey stayed silent.

Harvey raked his hand through his hair, trying to get his heartbeat back to normal. As much as he wanted to continue, the interruption was a good thing. He needed to keep his distance, he did not, realize, at the time, the consequences of taking Mike along with him. Just, two days ago they had a normal boss/associate relationship. Now, everything changed-

Harvey put out, the fire pit, then, headed back into the house to lock up everything. He had enough to worry about, tomorrow, with his mom coming here. Yes, he definitely, needed was some distance from Mike. 

Meanwhile, Mike was upstairs laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling wondering what the hell just, happened. He needed to talk to Harvey, but he figured they would work it out in the morning. Still feeling the effects of the alcohol, he turned over onto his side and drifted off into a fitful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my story. Comments, constructive critique and kudos are very much appreciated and welcomed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath, Harvey and Mike are uncomfortable with each other. Well, Harvey is more than Mike.
> 
> Harvey gets jealous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and the kudos they are very much appreciated. Enjoy the story.

Harvey got up around seven in the morning. Sleep was eluding him; so many things were weighing in on his conscience; he needed to clear his mind, and only a run could provide that. 

He quickly got up and grabbed his white Nike running shoes along with his burgundy cotton shorts and gray Harvard t-shirt. He threw them on and was out the door quietly and quickly as he could leave. He suspected that Celine wouldn’t appreciate any loud noises, especially after last night.

When Harvey attended Harvard, he roomed with Marcus and Celine for a few months, before renting a flat of his own, it was a tight squeeze. 

The small flat was only a couple of miles from the home they now dwelled in, so he knew the area well from running daily. His favorite run was to the Boston Commons, so he decided to take that route and, the eight-mile run was perfect for burning off extra energy. 

Being a weekday; there was a lot of traffic. He liked this area and was pleased he was here visiting. 

Harvey was hoping this run would keep him busy enough to distract himself from thinking of Mike, but nothing was working. Harvey touched his lips with his hand recalling the taste of Mike on his lips, his unique smell. 

The chemistry between them was out of this world; what surprised him the most was that Mike was bold enough to make the first move and, that was all they required. Then like an explosion of hormones went off, they couldn’t get enough of each other. Harvey shook his head trying to forget. What he needed was to get his head back on straight. As he thought about the situation a million times; his mind came back to the same argument, he was Mike’s boss and, on top of that, it would complicate things. 

The last thing he needed was an inner-work relationship and all the bull shit that went along with the situation. Plus Mike was young; he did not need to get tangled up with the likes of him. The truth was Harvey could come up with any justification for why they should not get together, but what it comes down to is that he is scared shitless. Deep down Harvey knew this.

He was at an impasse on what would move him forward with this dilemma. Even though in the past he had some relationships. No one had ever made him feel like Mike did. He felt free; elated, hard and soft at the same time. He wanted to kiss him one minute; push him away from him the next. This situation was definitely out of his territory. Harvey always kept his wits about him, but this was throwing him through a loop.

“Watch where you are going, Asshole!” The man that he almost knocked over bellowed.

Harvey was so deep in thought that he had not noticed how close he came to plowing the guy over. He needed to get his head back in the game. As he offered an apology to the guy trying to defuse the tension, the man gestured back at him waving his middle finger. _Ahhh Boston, got to love their attitude,_ not that Manhattan was any different.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Mike woke up to the sensational smell of bacon and freshly made coffee. His stomach grumbled; he longed to take a shower, but his belly had other intentions, so he made his way downstairs following the smell to the kitchen where he found Marcus at the stove.

“Not to sound sexist, but I thought Celine would be the one I found cooking in here,” Mike chuckled.

“Believe me, if Celine had her way she would be. She could hardly get out of bed this morning but was insisting she had to be a good host and get breakfast for you two, but I informed her I had it handled,” Marcus explained.

“When I was attending MIT and Celine was going to Northeastern, we took turn cooking. Between going to college and working our asses off to make ends meet, we were both exhausted,” Marcus spoke.

“I can only Imagine,” Mike surmised. “However; you are now stuck with my cooking,” Marcus smiled.

“Well, I don’t know if I can handle that,” Mike joked. “Nah, I am not picky, I will be happy with whatever you can give me.”

“I have home fries, bacon, and sausage on the stove. How would you like your eggs done?”

“Once over easy,” Mike offered.

“Ahh just like Harvey likes when he is not on his health kick,” Marcus chuckled.

Mike had been trying to avoid thinking of Harvey, just the mention of his name made his stomach flutter. Marcus had not noticed the grimace on Mike’s face and continued talking.

“I apologize about last night. I should've left it to the morning, but Celine kept trying to come back down, so I went for her.”

Mike had been deep in thought and just caught what Marcus was saying. “Oh no, you do not have to explain that to me, Marcus. I understand, there is no problem.” Mike explained.

“Are you sure? Because from the way it looked if you could have crowded any closer to Harvey, you would have been inside him,” Marcus teased with a laugh.

Mike was blushing furiously.

Just then, Celine came in sat down at the breakfast bar with her head in her hands looking miserable. Marcus Anticipated her headache; handed her a glass of water and some aspirin. He set the item’s beside her and gently kissed her on the head.

Without looking up, Celine uttered, “Sorry Mike that I am not a good host, but I can barely lift my head up.”

“You are fine, just rest. Marcus is doing a great job by the smell of it,” Mike ensured. With that, Celine got up real quick to go to the bathroom.

Marcus looked at her sympathetically, but at the same time, he laughed. “I warned her to be careful. Celine drinks once a millennium, so she is not used to alcohol, but she never listens to me,” Marcus snickered. Celine came back in looking miserable. “Can I have two more aspirins?” Marcus did not need to ask why.

“Why don’t you go lay down on the couch honey, that way you won’t have to travel too far.” “Okay,” Celine resigned, “But not for too long. I have to get the house ready for your parent's arrival.”

Gordon and Lily Specter were due to arrive early evening. Mike was preparing himself for that situation 

After Marcus helped his fiancée to the couch and when he came back in, he noticed the serious expression on Mike's face.

“If you are worried about a confrontation with Harvey, and my parents; especially my mom, I think it should be okay. Harvey can be a hothead but, I know he wants things to go smoothly for Celine and me,” Marcus said trying to convince himself as much as Mike.

Mike kept his mouth shut. He was not too sure about that. Harvey had some big-time resentments towards his mother; now that he found out his parents got back together it was upsetting to him. 

Both Mike and Marcus turned when they heard the front door open, then shut.

Harvey stood there soaked with sweat with no shirt on and shorts that were clinging to him. The same shirt was being used to wipe off his forehead off. If Mike’s jaw dropped any lower, he was going to have to pick it up off the floor. The older man looked delicious.

Harvey caught Mike’s eye then looked away quickly. The lawyer had a weird expression on his face; Mike could not quite make out.

“Hey, Harv just in time for grub, take a seat.“ I am not that hungry, and I am in need of a shower.” Harvey made excuses but, his brother was not buying it.

“Go to the bathroom in the hallway, wipe yourself down. The face cloth is- that is right you already know where everything is. I will throw two more eggs on the frying pan. You can take your shower after."

Harvey wanted to argue, but he knew better. His brother was stubborn, and since Harvey made Senior partner, he has not visited much. He headed to the bathroom without a word. 

Mike eyed the bread. “I can make the toast. Oh, you have pumpernickel! I love pumpernickel.”

“I can tell,” Marcus laughed. That is great. I want the Rye and Harvey will have, the especially bought for him, whole grain bread,” he snickered.

“Coming right up, I will also pour the coffees.” Mike smiled.

Once the food was ready, Mike carried the meal out to the table. Harvey was already sitting at the table looking at his cell phone. Mike set Harvey’s plate right in front of him and looked at him, but Harvey failed to look up. Mike thought maybe Harvey was caught up in whatever was interesting on his phone and knowing him he was sure it was about a client.

The meal was good, even Harvey ate everything on his plate, and that's saying something. Celine was still sleeping on the couch, and Marcus did not disturb her. He would rather have her be pissed, then have to deal with her grumpiness, from being hungover.

Mike tried to start a conversation many times with Harvey, but Harvey was short with him. Only giving him one-word answers and not looking up from his phone. It finally dawned on Mike that Harvey was purposely ignoring him.

Mike could not believe he would treat him like this, after last night, he was tempted to tell Harvey off. The older man's attitude was pissing him off, but what did he expect? 

His walls would go right up, and he would dismiss you like you were nothing. Mike wanted to believe he was more to Harvey than that. There was more to this thing, whatever you want to call this-this thing, but the younger man needed to be an adult. He realized that Harvey had a lot on his mind today, so he would not bother him, but he was going to to have a conversation on this subject matter later with the older man. 

After Harvey rushed from the table to take a shower, Marcus pulled Mike aside and asked him what was going on.

“The way things looked last night, you two were getting along just fine.”

Mike was blushing again. _Dammit!_

“I am sure he has a lot on his mind right now,” Mike surmised.

“Yes, I suppose he does, but he did not have to be an ass about it, by blatantly ignoring you,” Marcus admonished.

“I am letting it go for now.” Mike did not want to talk about this anymore.

Marcus got the message, and he backed off. 

“Marcus! How could you let me sleep so long?” Celine complained loudly from the living room. Marcus smiled amusedly at Mike and left to attend to her. 

Marcus stuck his head back in the doorway of the kitchen, “Ooh, by the way, the media room is two doors, to the right, from the downstairs bathroom. We have movies, music, video games, you name it, feel free to make yourself comfortable.” 

“Will do,” Mike smiled. He was glad to have something to do to keep his mind off of Harvey.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Meanwhile, Harvey was emailing a client that lived in New York but was staying at his second home in Boston, visiting his family. Branson Steele was a long-standing client that had been with Harvey since he first started working for Jessica, and only Harvey dealt with him and would not push him off on anyone else.

Branson Steele was suing his former partner for leaking confidential information to his competitor. His partner was planning on leaving their business to partner up with the competition, but not before screwing Branson over. As if, leaving him to be with the enemy was not bad enough.

Harvey loved getting his hands dirty, he could sink his teeth in this case, and the pay off was huge for him. Plus he had a soft spot for the kind old man and wanted to do right by him. This case would keep him very busy; he would set Mike up with a Pro-Bono case, that way he would not have to have that much contact with him when all this wedding business was over.

He knew he would need some time to get his head on straight, and the less time spent with Mike, the better it would be for both of them. _Coward._ He squashed the voice down and kept trying to convince himself this was what was right. He needed to have a meeting with Branson, so he could have time to collect himself. 

Another plus was that he heard that Hardman had been sniffing around Branson trying to steal his client, but he was not worried because Branson was very loyal to Harvey. And it was a joy to know he beat the former partner before he got a chance to get to the proverbial finish line.

"Hey, Harv, there you are! Why are you hibernating in your room? Celine, Mike and I are in the media room, watching a movie, you should join us." Marcus supplied, barging in without knocking.

“No thanks, I am busy with some work issues.” 

"Oh, Harv, I thought you took the week off?”

"I did, but I am senior partner and securing a week absence is a tremendous deal, so I have to do some business from the sidelines."

"Well, keep it to a minimum because this is family time." Harvey rolled his eyes at how sentimental his brother was. But, with age and Mike’s influence, he has come to appreciate the gesture more. 

“Allow me ten minutes, and I will grace you with my presence,“ Harvey smiled smugly.

His brother raised his eyebrows because he had heard that before.

“I promise!”

“Okay, I will hold you to that,” Marcus admonished.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Celine wrestled the popcorn from her husband. She was feeling much better, and miraculously her appetite returned with a vengeance. From what Mike witnessed; she already ate a ham sandwich, a bag of popcorn, and a handful of Reese’s Pieces, Now she was on her second bag of popcorn.

“Uh uh uh, you’ll blow up like a balloon and won't fit in your wedding dress.” Marcus barely got out through his laughter. Celine looked faux shocked and punched Marcus in his arm.

He knew his wife worked out regularly and ate healthily. Though she could eat anything and not gain an ounce, he loved teasing her.

Celine knew he just wanted a rise out of her, so she went along with his friskiness. She moved forward, and they kissed while giggling.

After watching the affectionate couple, Mike could not help but laugh at them, and it made him think of Harvey. How he wished he could have that with the older man, but Harvey has been giving him the cold shoulder since last night. His thoughts were interrupted when the very man walked into the room. On inspection, Mike thought Harvey looked hot. He was wearing worn out light blue Levi’s and a light blue Henley that made his tan pop. 

The Media room consisted of; a large white leather couch, matching loveseat, and a lazy boy chair, there was an eighty inch curved TV with surround sound, DVD player, Xbox1, (Marcus swears it is for when he has young visitors), and a VCR.

Harvey observed the room Mike was on the loveseat and Celine and Marcus were on the couch.

The older man was tempted to sit next to Mike. He automatically started walking towards the loveseat. When he got near him, Harvey’s resolve to distance himself weakened, but he refused to lose it like a teenager with a crush. He turned and headed towards the recliner instead.

Mike’s heart beat a little faster, as Harvey started towards him to sit on the loveseat. Mike watched the older man’s emotions cross his face; first, he saw what looked like longing, then irritation, then his face was blank, and he abruptly turned towards the Lazy-boy and sat down. 

“Glad you came to join the little people, Harvey," Marcus said sarcastically with a laugh.

"I thought I would let you all benefit from my presence," Harvey teased back with a crinkly-eyed smile.

Mike stayed silent, still trying to read what was going on with Harvey. He was taken aback by how the older man was acting. He was started to get miffed with Harvey’s attitude, and he still had six days to go and was starting to dread it. But on the plus side, he did enjoy Marcus and Celine, so it was not as off-putting.

“Okay, We have The GodFather?” Marcus called out holding up three DVDs.

 _I´m gonna make him an offer, he can't refuse._ Harvey quoted. 

_Revenge is a dish best served cold,_ Mike quoted back. 

_A friend should always underestimate your virtues and an enemy overestimate your faults,_ Harvey recited.

Marcus and Celine were watching in awe as they quoted back and forth the chemistry between the two men was blatant.

“Alright, let’s get on with the rest. Star Wars, the original?” Marcus interrupted.

 _You can't win Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine._ Harvey spoke attempting to sound like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

 _Your powers are weak, old man. You should not have come back,_ Mike was trying to replicate Darth Vader’s voice, failing miserably. The old man part was said looking directly at Harvey, teasing him.

"Who are you calling old man!" Harvey said indignantly, but with a smile.

Celine piped up, laughing, “Geez you two have seen every movie! What do you both have note cards you carry around with you that quote of all the movie’s you viewed in your life?”

Mike went to speak, but Harvey beat him to it. “ I remember the great movies very well, and Mike here, with his Eidetic memory, soaks everything up."

“Celine was amazed. Wow! I did not know that about you.”

“Sorry hun, I thought I told you that,” Marcus supplied.

“Yeah, Mike said sheepishly, as he felt his face flushed. He usually has no problem with people knowing that fact, but right now with how weird things were between him and Harvey. Mike did not want to be on display; this is not what he wants right now. 

“So, let me get this straight? You remember everything?” Celine uttered with an emphasize on everything. Mike wanted to refuse to talk about himself, but he was too polite, and they had been gracious hosts throughout his stay.

“Yes, I do, ma'am,” Mike answered.

“Ooh, please show us an example,” Celine said getting up to look for a book. “Mike, have you read Huckleberry Finn?”

“Sure have, one of my favorites,” Mike stated.

“Be right back I will grab the book out of the Study.” Celine voiced.

A few minutes later Celine came back with a well worn, dog-eared, version of the book. Just flip any page open and start reading and I will take over. Mike proclaimed.

Celine began reading, _He was most fifty, and he looked it. His hair was long and tangled and greasy, and hung down, and you could see his eyes shining…_

Mike Chimed in, _through like he was behind vines. It was all black, no gray; so was his long, mixed-up whiskers. There warn't no color in his face, where his face showed; it was white; not like another man's white, but a white to make a body sick, a white to make a body's flesh crawl - a tree-toad white, a fish-belly white. As for his clothes - just rags, that was all. He had one ankle resting on t'other knee; the boot on that foot was busted, and two of his toes stuck through, and he worked them now and then. His hat was laying on the floor - an old black slouch with the top caved in, like a lid._

“Oh my God!” Celine smiled in awe. “You are amazing!”

Harvey could not help to beam at this; he was proud of Mike. One of the younger man’s many assets, that Harvey found, made him that much more attractive.

“Thanks,” Mike murmured humbly, but he could not help the full smile he had, having caught Harvey’s reaction. 

From there on out the tension declined between Harvey and Mike. It was not their usual banter, but they both men breathed easier now.

Marcus piped up, continuing with the movie selection, “I have Celine’s favorite “Love story.”

 _Love means never having to say you're sorry._ Mike recited. 

Harvey raised his eyebrows, and his mouth hung open in a slightly oval shape, looking at Mike Incredulously.

“That’s it, your losing your man card privileges!”

"Says the man that knows every line in Sleepless in Seattle," Mike mocked back.

That shut Harvey up, It was the only romantic movie he had a soft spot for, he had the decency to look sheepish.

“Maybe we should forget the movie; you two are quite the entertainment.” Marcus laughed.

Celine smiled shaking her head in agreement.

They voted; Star Wars won out.

Halfway into the movie Marcus leaned over to Celine and whispered to her how amusing it was watching Harvey and Mike surreptitiously glance at each other when they thought the other was not looking.

Celine whispered back. “They are like teenagers. I have never seen Harvey respond this way to a person.” Marcus nodded in agreement, then they both went back to watching the movie.

The internal struggle Harvey's having was killing him; he wanted to sit by Mike, but he wasn't and him not going for what he wanted angered him. He is Harvey Specter, the man, that never backs down from anything he wants. 

Harvey jumped in surprise being brought out of his thoughts by the doorbell. He knew it was too early for his parents to show up.

They were not due here till around 6 o'clock. Having foregone the business of Logan airport, opting for much smaller, Manchester NH airport. They refused to be picked up saying they both would enjoy the long drive.

Harvey believed it was more like they were bearing their time before they had to see him. They should be nervous, not telling him they are back together, dammit! He has not seen his dad in about six months, but he talked to him a couple of months ago, and the older Specter never revealed that he got back with his mom. He adored his dad, but it hurt that he was not upfront with him. Harvey could see why though he did not have a good relationship with his mom, in fact, he still had a lot of anger towards her. Celine pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Ah, that must be Maggie and her best friend, Scott,” Celine announced to everyone. Marcus gave her a confused look wondering where Maggie's husband was.

“Carl has an emergency at his company; had to fly out of state and there is a chance he will not make it back in time for the wedding. So, she asked Scott to come which makes perfect sense since they have been joined at the hip since they were fifteen,” Celine explained as she got up heading toward the door. “And of course I already invited Scott to the wedding.”

A few minutes later, Celine walked in with Maggie and Scott in tow. “You both know Maggie,” she was referring to Marcus and Harvey. “

"Maggie this is Mike.” Maggie was tall like her sister, but she had dark auburn hair with olive skin and big moss green eyes encased by thick eyelashes. She was a beauty.

Mike had yet to notice Scott, but when he did, he felt something catch in his throat. The man was gorgeous. He stood six-two with sandy blonde hair, intense blue eyes, and a beautiful golden tan. The way the man held himself spoke volumes that he knew he is hot. 

“This is my soon to be brother-in-law Harvey. Harvey this is Scott.” 

“You keep forgetting that we know each other, Marcus. You are getting old,” Harvey goaded.

"Don’t even go there Harv, if I am old, what does that make you, ancient?" Marcus teased right back.

Even Harvey could not help to admire the man’s beauty, but that is as far as it went because Scott was full of himself. They were alike in that area except Harvey was not as foolhardy as Scott was.

"Mike this is Scott; Scott, Mike." Mike stuck his hand out, and Scott grabbed it holding his hand lingering a little while longer than what is appropriate. He had a twinkle in his eyes and was giving Mike a once over, obvious he played for the other team.

Harvey noticed and did not like it at all. He motioned Mike over claiming he had some business to discuss with him, but it was just a ruse to get Mike away from Scott. When Mike came over Harvey apologized; this is no time for business, but Mike knew better. He knew what Harvey was up too. 

The younger man was not sure what to think of this. He got a thrill because Harvey was jealous, but at the same time, he was pissed because Harvey kept being melancholy which was so unlike Harvey. The older man could be cold at times, but he was consistent with his moods, not like this fickle attitude. 

Yes, Scott is a good looking man, but Mike only had eyes for Harvey. If the older man kept up the way he was acting, Mike would have to rethink this.

Marcus sees what's going on and gets a kick out of it. His brother could be so uptight at times. He needed to relax.

“We were in the middle of Star Wars, but I know Mike and Harvey will not detest if we do not get back to it,” Marcus informed Scott and Maggie. 

He wanted the movie on because it would prevent Steve from interacting with Mike, but Harvey was not going to protest; the force he bit his lip with stopping him. He could see that Scott was devouring Mike with his eyes, and Harvey despised the uncouth display. Celine told them to take a seat, and Scott sat down right next to Mike before Harvey had a chance to do the same. Harvey was glad they would not be watching the movie now, he could only imagine what would happen. The little he saw of how Scott reacted to Mike and knowing his rival; he knew the man would be aggressive and on top of all of it, he knew Mike was not happy with the way he had been treating him. 

Maybe this is a good thing that Scott came he was trying to convince himself, but the vein in his right temple was throbbing. _Who am I kidding?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos, comments, and feedback are enthusiastically encouraged and welcomed. :)
> 
> Quotes are from The Godfather, Star Wars, Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain and Love Story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike has an unpleasant encounter and Harvey is not thrilled with Scott's presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments and kudos. I truly appreciate them. :)

Maggie sat next to her sister on the couch. Harvey could see out of the corner of his eyes Mike scooting closer to the opposite side of the loveseat as Scott kept leaning in, talking to him. Seeing Mike scoot away eased Harvey's nerves.

"Would anyone like me to get some soda?” Celine interjected; breaking the tension that she could see forming among the men. 

“Yeah sure, can I have a brew instead,” Scott spoke up. I think Mike would like one too.” 

Mike broke in, “Um, no beer for me, thanks, but I would like a Pepsi.” He did not want to drink alcohol at two pm, but also, he was stunned by the audacity of Scott's speaking for him at the same time, Mike strangely liked it as well because it reminded him of Harvey.

“Bottled water for me,” Harvey spoke up.

“I will grab you an Ice tea,” Celine winked at Marcus as he swatted her butt.

“See what I mean, ‘Bunnies.’” Harvey teased.

Maggie and Scott looked confused.

“They cannot get enough of each other," Harvey spoke again.

“Ah,” Maggie grinned along with Scott. 

Celine left to get the drinks with Maggie following behind her.

"So, Mike, what do you do for a living?" Scott asked smoothly, leaning so close that Mike could feel his breath on his cheek. Backing away Mike explained, I am Harvey’s associate Lawyer at Pearson Hardman in Manhattan.

“Impressive.” Scott smiled slyly while flirting with him with his eyes.

Scott waited for Mike to ask him about what he does, but since he was not inquiring Scott took it upon himself to offer up the information. " I own the popular gay nightclub, _The Fountain of Youth_ in New York as well as a few apartment buildings in the surrounding suburbs."

“When we are both back in New York. I will take you to my establishment,” Scott directed.

Mike did not want to be rude; "Well I-"

“That would be Great; Mike and I would love to check out your nightclub together.” Harvey interrupted.

Mike was stunned, to say the least by Harvey’s action, but he was grateful for the save. Scott sure had a boldness about him.

Scott, disconcerted at first, recovered quickly. “Sure, Harvey, you can tag along,” He spoke condescendingly while looking at Harvey, and then turned and gave Mike a sexy smile.

Harvey smiled his shark-like smile towards Steve. "Will see who is tagging along.”

Scott was gearing up for a comeback, but Maggie, who had, arrived back with the drinks spoke up, seeing where the conversation was heading. “Celine?’ Which rooms are for Scott and me? I would like to freshen up and stow my things away. Scott, please be a dear and get our luggage from the trunk of my car.”

"Yes, dear," Scott teased, as he got up he brushed up against Mike as he headed out to get the luggage. _What a handful this guy is turning out to be._ Mike slowly shook his head.

"Wow, look at the time it is 2:45,” Celine spoke looking at her watch.

“Even though Maggie knows the house; I will save her the hassle of picking the wrong room, then I need to get the roast ready to go in the oven."

“Scott is quite the character," Marcus said with a grin.

“That is an understatement, but he always has been.' Harvey added, sarcastically.

The whole ordeal had Mike feeling out of sorts. “I need to go up to my room," is all he said as he got up.”

Harvey wistfully watched Mike walk out of the room.

When Mike was all the way out of the room; Marcus turned to his brother, “I don’t get what is going through your head, Harvey. One minute you're hot and the other minute you're aloof towards Mike.”

Harvey leaned forward in his chair, his head hung low with his elbows on his knees and his hands threading through his hair nervously.

“I don’t know..., the whole situation is compelling me to retreat. I persuaded Mike to go along with me, so I would have a distraction from having to deal with mom, but I never expected these turn of events. Once we got out on the road something just took over me. And furthermore what I did not expect, is to feel so inundated with these feelings.” Harvey huffed working his digits deeper into his hair.

On the rare occasion, Harvey was struggling, Marcus and Celine were the only ones besides Donna that had the privilege of witnessing him come undone this way. With all that was happening in his brothers' life right now, this was not surprising Harvey was feeling defeated.

Marcus stood up and walked over to Harvey putting his hand on his brother's shoulder. Harvey accepted it and looked up at his brother in thanks. No words needed to be said, they both understood. Plus Marcus knew Harvey was proud, and he would not push it. With that, he just spoke a few words. 

“I have faith in you Harvey; I know you will resolve things. I am here if you need me," with that, Marcus left his brother to his introspection knowing Harvey needed space but before he left the room he added, “I am journeying to the store in a half hour if you desire to get some fresh air I would love the company,” Marcus revealed as he was exiting the room.

“Check back with me before you leave," was all Harvey murmured.

Marcus nodding; knowing, and ventured out in search of Celine.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Sequestering himself to his temporary room, Mike set his phone alarm for a half an hour. The circumstances had drained his energy, and he needed to relax if he wanted to survive the rest of the day. Closing his eyes, he laid still for a few minutes, but his mind had other plans. Sometimes he resented having an Eidetic memory because he remembered everything with such precision. He had to laugh though because it was amusing how everything was turning out. Harvey, Scott, what’s next? He chuckled to himself; then he remembered the emotional turmoil Harvey's going through with the impending arrival of his parents. He needed to cut Harvey some slack at least for now. 

His mind wandered to Scott. The guy was a great distraction, but a little cocky for Mike’s taste. Harvey sure surprised him with how he reacted to the other man, and Mike got a thrill out of it though. _Harvey cares!_ He laughed out loud. He heard the door open; Mike got up thinking it was Harvey but was shocked to see that it was the other man that was on his mind. Scott. 

” Didn’t your parents teach you manners? You heard of knocking, right?” Mike reprimanded.

Don’t pretend you aren’t overjoyed to see me; I saw how you were looking at me. 

“I admit you are an attractive man, but my interest lay elsewhere."

“Will see about that.” Scott asserted, smirking at him while casually leaning against the door.

“Arrogant much?”

“Very,” Scott spoke presumptuously, “you see when I set my sights on someone, I get what I want and your what my radar is set on. I am quite the catch; you will find out I am not a bad guy when you get to know me better.'

“Well, we will see about that,” Mike looked at him warily. He set to get up off the bed and Scott prowled towards him, licking his lips. Mike avoided him and sprung forward to the door, as he did, he turned around and spoke. “Even if I was interested, the approach you’re choosing to exert turns me off.” Mike noticed the stunned look on Scott’s face, along with what looked like admiration. 

_Score one for Mike._ He felt quite satisfied with himself about deflating Scott’s ego, but that feeling was short-lived. Because; he knew the man was not going to give up even though he looked like a dog with his tail between his legs he could see the determination coming back in his eyes. For right now Mike was happy to get away, these last few days everything had been moving fast. First Harvey, now Scott, was something in the water? He was not complaining about what happened between Harvey and him the night before, but he would do better not to have to deal with Harvey’s moodiness, since then. On top of everything else, he did not care for Scott's approach. 

Scott left the room right after but did not follow Mike. He was going to lick his wounds and regroup. He was not about to give up that easy, plus there is no way he would let Harvey win this one; this would not be the first time he and Harvey have been at odds.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Harvey decided to take his brother up on his offer and go shopping with him. He teased his brother about him being Celine’s errand boy and Marcus was tempted to tease him about Mike but knew that topic was off limits. 

“At least I was not daddy’s boy,” Marcus snickered pushing the cart towards the dessert isle.

"Yeah, like being a mommy’s boy is any better," Harvey threw right back, eyeing all the sweets.

"Okay, you got me there," Marcus remarked with a defeated smile. 

Harvey started to think about his mom but stopped himself. He wanted to enjoy his time with his brother. He needed this so he could face his mother. 

Marcus picked up a cheesecake off the stand announcing, “White Chocolate & Almond Amaretto, dad’s favorite, and if I do recall you have a fondness for it too.”

Harvey shook his head in agreement," but I need to keep desserts to a minimum.” 

"Ooh come on Harv, you are here to enjoy yourself, you need to leave your uptightness at the office and live a little. Plus I know you will do a thousand hours on the elliptical trainer at the gym and all will be well again.” Marcus chuckled.

“Uptightness; really? You don't have anything better than that?" Harvey taunted then relented. “Alright; for you, I will let go some, and eat more, but not too much. I look awesome, and I want to keep it that way," Harvey smiled smugly.

Marcus just laughed at his sibling. Having this time to spend with Harvey was great, he missed his older brother.

“Does Mike like cheesecake?" Marcus asked his brother even though he knew that mentioning Mike right now was a sore spot for Harvey; he thought under these circumstances, the subject would be okay. 

“Mike is a vacuum he will eat anything,” Harvey spoke, quickly changing the subject off of the younger man. “Since I am indulging my sweet tooth a little. That Chocolate fudge cake is looking appetizing.”

Marcus picked up the delectable dessert and placed it in the basket along with the other items. "Well, that about does it for now unless there is something you need?" 

“Now that I think of it I need to get some razors from my shaver. Then I will meet you back at the car.” Harvey grabbed the wallet ensconced in his back pocket out his jeans, grabbed fifty dollars and went to hand it to Marcus.

“That’s okay, Harv, I got this,” Marcus said holding up his hands.

“I feel I need to contribute, with the funds you are spending on the wedding, I mean it has to be costing you a pretty penny to put this shindig on” Harvey presumed.

“Need I remind you that Celine and I are well off. Our business has been booming, and on top of that I invited you down here.”

Harvey shoved the money into his brother's hand and walked off before Marcus could respond.

Marcus shook his head at his stubborn brother and headed towards the register.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

As Harvey and Marcus came into the house they were treated to the warm; wonderful aroma of Roast Beef cooking in the oven. Laughter could be heard coming from the kitchen as Celine, and her sister was preparing the side dishes for the meal.

“Hey honey I am home, give me some love,“ Marcus teased after he set the bag of groceries he was carrying.

“ Oh, God, here we go again,” Harvey was smiling winking at Maggie.

“Do not get me started,” Maggie laughed.

The happy couple had not noticed what was said because they had been too preoccupied. Celine gazed up her lips were red and swollen, hair messy, looking dazed, “Did I miss something?”

Harvey and Maggie just started laughing. 

“No that’s okay just go back to what you were doing.” Harvey chuckled.

Just then he felt his phone buzzing indicating an incoming text. "I need to depart up to my room Jessica texted me to call her. I hope the fort is holding up without me there; I will be down before dinner." 

“Okay Harvey," Celine said as she pulled back. I need to get the rest of the food ready. Marcus can you please go into the garage and get the leaf and extra chairs for the table. 

Harvey paused. “Let me help you with that, Marcus.”

Maggie spoke up, "that’s okay, I can help him. You go deal with your phone call."

With that said, Harvey went upstairs as he was about to enter his room he heard muffled voices coming from Mike’s room. Then the door opened abruptly and the younger man came out looking flustered, so much, that he walked past Harvey and did not notice him. He then saw Scott leave the room not long after heading the opposite direction. The man noticed Harvey; winked at him then turned to go into his room.

A sudden feeling of jealousy and possessiveness came over Harvey; he fought the urge to lay claim on Mike. He physically had to hold himself back from confronting Scott. He quickly entered his room shutting the door; his heart was beating out of his chest. Taking a deep breath; Harvey willed his heart to slow down. 

He was overwhelmed with how fast things seemed to be spiraling. Just a few days ago he was blissfully unaware of the depth of his feelings for Mike, and now with Scott added to the mix it was causing multiple feelings to stir. 

_Mike had to be drinking an aphrodisiac._ Harvey had to chuckle at that absurd thought, but how Scott came onto him after just have met Mike was crazy. He owned a nightclub now, and from what Celine had reported to Harvey; Scott was still very hands on. _Yeah very hands-on; keep your damn hands off of Mike._ He knew Scott still held resentments towards him because of the past, but he hoped he had moved on. _Yeah. No. That was not happening. ___

____

____

Harvey felt the beginnings of a headache coming on, so he seized his accessory bag out of his suitcase; he pulled out the bottle of Tylenol, pouring out two pills. He went to the bathroom for water and took the pills; he laid down for a few pulling himself together, he needed to talk to Mike. Getting up and about to head downstairs, realizing he forgot about Jessica he grabbed his cell and placed the call.

Ten minutes later, he finished the call with Jessica, Harvey grumbled to himself, dammit Louis. He is always on his man period and making things far more complicated than should be. But thankfully Harvey had the information that Jessica needed, so the chaos was averted. He recouped quickly and headed out the door.

Before he got to the kitchen, he could hear the chatter. Still having an hour to kill before his parent's arrival, he decided he would pull Mike aside and finally speak with him. Something's has to give between them.

Walking into the kitchen; he was caught by surprise there stood his mother talking with Marcus, Celine, and Mike; his dad nowhere to be found.

His mother turned, as she felt Harvey’s presence. The older lady bristled some as she sensed the tension coming off of her son.

“Hello Mother,” Harvey all but choked out, emphasizing on mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are welcomed and appreciated :


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that his mother arrived; Harvey is doing his best to keep himself in check.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the kudos and comments! :) My plan is to update this every Sunday and sometimes sooner if I am able too :)

You could hear a pin drop; everyone stood perfectly still as if afraid to move, all eyes were trained on mother and son. Harvey’s mother stared at him, shocked. It wasn’t like she did not know he would be here, but the emotions she felt at seeing him were in her throat, and the anger she could still feel coming off her son, directed at her was overwhelming. She pulled herself together breathed in deeply, time to be an adult.

Harvey’s mother stood 5'7 dressed casually in a blue Chanelle pants suit; her dark blonde hair swept up in a loose bun with wisps of hair surrounding her oval face. Her hazel eyes were soft and expressive; like an open book.

“Hello Harvey, it is nice to see you,” she spoke with a smile trying to ease the situation. The older lady knew her son resented her. He had made it clear; this was a trait she loved about him, he never minced words, he was straight to the point. A person always knew where they stood with Harvey, but at the moment this very trait made her uncomfortable.

Marcus decided to break the tension, “Mom was telling us that they missed their first plane due to complications, the next plane to Manchester was not till seven. Luck was on there side though because there was a flight to Boston which got them here sooner." 

Not wanting to hear about his Mom and dad traveling together. Harvey gave them a wary nod; wondering where his dad was.

As if reading his mind Celine spoke up, “Your dad is putting the luggage in their room.”

 _Their room._ That did not bode well with Harvey, so he just nodded again; trying his best to look nonchalant. He did not want to spend too much time around his mother, because he knew he would not be able to maintain his silence much longer. So not wanting to lash out at her he was keeping his distance from her as much as possible which was for the best. He remembered why he came in there in the first place and realized that Mike was missing, also noticing that Scott was absent as well. Harvey did not want to leap to conclusions, but his head could not help to conjure up visions of the two men, visions he could do without seeing.

_Speak of the devil himself._

“Well, well, look who we have here," Scott laughed as he walked in the room, looking like he stepped out of a fashion magazine. "You look younger every time I see you," Scott bent down and kissed Lily’s cheek lightly.” 

"Always the charmer, Scott, I remember when I first met you a small skinny boy tagging alongside Maggie and Celine. Now, look at you tall and handsome. You must have been, fourteen or fifteen back then? Lily stated.

“Fifteen,” Scott added, smiling smugly about the compliment as he walked over to Celine.

“No, you were fourteen; Maggie was thirteen at the time. I remember because I just had my fifteenth birthday a few days after that, Celine piped up. 

"That's right, I am surprised you can remember that old lady," Scott teased with a wink. Celine pinched him on the side. “Ow!” Scott cried out as he jumped away and faux pouted towards Maggie for sympathy, but she just shook her head and laughed at him.

“Teach you to mess with this old lady," Celine laughed.

Lily continued, “Marcus had come out to ask me a question, and Scott wrecked his bike because he was gawking at him,” she laughed.

“Not one of my finer moments,” added Scott, turning pink.

Harvey had to smile at that because it took Scott down a peg or two. 

"As I helped you up you kissed my hand," Lily smiled in remembrance. "I knew right then you would be breaking hearts."

Harvey could not help but scoff at that to himself. _Scott does not need his ego inflated any more than it already is._

“I will never forget that day,” Celine joined in, "the day Marcus and I realized we were more than friends,” she leaned over and kissed her fiance on the cheek.”

“If you can please excuse me I have matters I need to attend too,” Harvey stated as he exited the room quickly.

Celine looked at Marcus with a knowing look.

“Mike is assisting dad with bringing the luggage up to the room,” called Marcus as Harvey was leaving the room. 

“Of course he is,” Harvey spoke with frustration. Every turn there was a roadblock when it came to getting the younger man alone.

Harvey decided to go to his room instead. He needed to kill some time and prepare himself to deal with his dad. Pulling his phone out of his pocket; he called Branson Steele to discuss his case with him.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

"So, Mike, what part of New York did you grow up in?" Gordon inquired as they were taking the suitcases from the trunk of the rental car.

Mike responded after grabbing one of the carry on bags and putting the strap over his shoulder, then leaning against the car, looking at Gordon. “Are you familiar with Long Island?”

“Kind of,” Gordon answered.

"Well, I lived in a small village called Kensington, not to be confused with the neighborhood in Brooklyn, till I was twelve and then grammy had to sell the house.” Mike chose to leave out his parents death. “After that, we moved to an apartment in Bed Stuy.”

“That is a considerable difference between neighborhoods,” Gordon commented.

“Yeah, it was quite an adjustment for Grammy and me, but that was the best she could do on her pension’ with having to raise me.

Gordon refrained for asking about Mike’s parents; he could tell the younger man was avoiding mentioning the subject for a reason.

Gordon grabbed Lily’s two suitcases along with her carry on bag while Mike grabbed Gordon's suitcase.

"I can take the other bag if you want,” Mike offered.

"No, that’s okay I am used to this. I am not sure if Harvey mentioned it, but I am a musician." 

Mike nodded his head letting him know he knew this. 

"Although, when I am on the road I have stagehands to help carry my instrument, I choose to carry it myself everywhere we go to keep my instrument safe. Also, it keeps me in shape,” Gordon winked at Mike with a friendly smile while heading in the house.

Mike could see a strong resemblance between Harvey and his dad, with the gesture Gordon just made.

Gordon Specter was the same height as Harvey, six feet. He had shoulder length wavy hair, mostly grey with some brown strands, and kind greyish blue eyes. It was easy to see how Harvey was taken with his dad. Gordon is friendly; down to earth and has a great sense of humor. Mike right away, felt at ease as soon as he met the older gentleman.

“Where do you want me to put these?” Mike said, gesturing to the suitcase and carry on he brought up. 

“Just set them down by the bed and I will take care of them, heaven forbid anyone messes with Lily’s stuff, she is very fussy when it comes to her belongings,” Gordon chuckled. 

“Ah,” Mike responded, “I see where Harvey gets his angst over people messing with his stuff, Mike smiled. 

"They are more alike than Harvey will ever admit to, especially in the stubbornness area. Harvey is stubborn for sure," Gordon spoke with a sad look in his eyes.

Mike did not know what to say; the subject was tricky, but before he could think of anything to say his stomach let out a loud growl letting him know he needed to eat.

“I hear you loud and clear Mike,” Gordon laughed at the younger man. Mike's face was beet red. “I do not blame you the whole house smells wonderful. The older man went on to explain, “With the overbooking at the airport and having to board another plane threw Lily and me off schedule, no surprise, we forgot to grab something to eat. At least we have free tickets out of the deal, courtesy of Delta because of their mistake," the older man explained with a grin. 

“I guess we should head downstairs and see how dinner is coming along. I would not want you to starve to death.” Gordon teased him. 

Mike laughed as he started towards the door with Gordon on his heels. Teasing must be a trait amongst the men in the Specter family.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Harvey had no luck with getting a hold of Branson, so he called the firm to catch up with Donna, but she left early. He then called her cell she told him she was getting ready for a date, and before he had a chance to ask her about it her doorbell rang, and she had to go. His cell phone rang, and it was Branson, he let him know that they could meet tonight and would call him in about an hour and a half to let him know the details. 

After he hung up, Harvey sat down on the bed and laid back he let his mind traveled to his dad, he was a little nervous about seeing the man. He wanted to confront his dad on why he had not told him, but he knew that was not a good idea. Dammit, Harvey pull it together! He chastised himself. That is what he would do because he wanted to keep from reacting he needed to treat his time here like a business deal, nothing personal. 

He took a deep breath, telling himself, “I effectively deal with bigwigs of major corporations every day. I can deal with this family matter. He fixed his clothes, then headed downstairs and towards the kitchen where everyone was still hanging out. 

“Oh, hey, Harvey,” Celine called as she noticed him walk in the kitchen, “just in time, can you grab those two chairs,” she pointed to, “in the corner and bring them out to the dining room table, thanks!”

He had perfect timing people were grabbing food, sundries and the ones that weren’t were heading to sit at the table. Harvey compiled and grabbed the seats, he noticed as he was putting down the chairs that Scott was trying to persuade Mike to sit next to him, but Harvey was having none of that.

“Mike, come to sit over here,” Harvey ordered.

Mike wanted to protest, but when Harvey was demanding like that; there was something about it that Mike could not resist.

Harvey was quite pleased with himself and shot Scott a smug look, but his attention was soon diverted, with the arrival of his parents. He had temporarily forgotten about them; with all the commotion of getting the dinner on the table.

 _Business,_ Harvey reminded himself. "Hello Dad," Harvey greeted the older Specter like he was greeting a client. His dad was taken back some, but he knew Harvey was not happy with him right now.

"Hey, son, it is good to see you,' Gordon gave him a tentative smile. Harvey gave a curt nod and looked away. His dad was pulling out a seat for his mother and did not need to watch that.

Marcus came in pushing a Roast beef trolley. The trollies table and frame were made of mahogany wood, and the top was stainless steel, with a cover that closed down over the food. 

“Wow,” fancy, going all out, are we, Scott singsonged.

Celine gushed, “Marcus won this at a fundraiser and I been dying to use it, and this is the perfect occasion to bring it out.”

Marcus opened up the cover; Mike’s eyes did not leave the delicious main course; he was practically drooling. “Close your mouth Rookie, or you will cause a flood.” Not even Harvey could deter Mike from the tantalizing entree.

Gordon spoke up, “Mike’s stomach’s growling alerted us that we needed to get down here.”

Everyone laughed, except Harvey, he gave a slight smile, not ready to make nice with his dad.

Mike barely heard what was said, his attention still on the food.

“Dad, Marcus called out, will you do us the honor and cut the Roast beef.”

It was a tradition in the Specter family, in the past, that their father always carved the meat.

Gordon wanted to ask Harvey to carve the meat this time; he knew that gesture would not go over well with Harvey right now.

"Sure, Gordon rose and plodded over to the meat and proceeded to cut it.”

“Since this is Mike’s first formal meal with us, I will serve him now. I have first-hand knowledge of hungry he is.”

Mike protested and was blushing furiously. Harvey loved it when Mike blushed he looked adorable. _Not that Harvey would ever admit to that sentiment._

Even though Mike was starved; he did not feel comfortable with the special treatment. “That is..that's okay: please serve someone else," Mike said passively.

“Nonsense, you are the only one here that has never had dinner with us,” Gordon persuaded, as he walked over and put two good sized slabs of meat on Mike’s dish. He still wanted to protest, but Harvey leaned in and with a firm tone and said eat, Rookie. With the tone of his voice, the feel of Harvey’s breath still lingered on Mike’s skin the younger man could not help appease to Harvey’s command before he could think better of it. _I got to stop heeding to him._

After Mike accepted the food, Gordon served everyone else, then himself. From there on out, the dinner was a feeding frenzy with everyone passing the dishes between each other like food was going out of style. There were mentions of how great the certain food items were between scooping, eating and devouring the food. Harvey even ate more than usual.

"Oh my god, Harvey the horseradish sauce is awesome, and the double baked potatoes are to die for, you have to try these,” Mike spoke up between shoving forkfuls of food in his mouth. Harvey rolled his eyes at Mike and shook his head.“If you weren't in bed with your food, Mike you would have noticed that I already had some," Harvey said with a twinkle in his eyes while wiping the corner of his mouth with his handkerchief.

“You have outdone yourself, Celine, this food is fabulous.” Lily complimented. “Thanks,” Celine beamed, but don’t just thank me, Maggie was a big help with the side dishes."

Maggie smiled at her sister.

Don’t forget me; I tested the food to make sure it was okay for consumption. Marcus teased.

“Ooh what a hardship,” Celine leaned over and kissed him while patting his tummy. “You eat anymore, and we will have to take your suit to the tailor' she teased.

“I better slow down, I need to leave room for dessert,” Mike let out. “Say’s the bottomless pit.” Harvey baited.

Mike grinned back at him, “I know you envy me, old man, because you cannot eat like me and look as good as I do, _Ooh score one for Mike._ Mike said while kissing his finger that was in the shape of a gun then blowing the imaginary smoke off the top.

Everyone was watching the exchange with amusement as the pair bantered back and forth.

Scott was looking displeased because it was clear that Harvey and Mike had feelings for each other. A person would have to be blind to miss it. Nevertheless; he would have Mike one way or the other, he still had some tricks up his sleeve, but for now he would observe Mike get a feel for the man and what makes him tick. There no way Harvey was not going to win this time. 

Scott had met Harvey when he was sixteen hanging out over Marcus's house. Harvey was visiting his parent's house from New York; the teen saw him he was instantly attracted to the older brother, but Harvey just blew him off; like he was nothing.

Five years later he saw Harvey again at this party he was attending. Scott was there with a guy he had been dating for a while and he feels-hopes the guy is ready for the next step. To this day he has no idea how, but Harvey allured the guy away from him; the guy never called him again or returned his phone calls. He has no idea what he had done to Harvey to deserve this treatment, but he knows one thing he will never allow that to happen again. _Game on Harvey._

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Celine announced it was time to get the coffee and desserts; asks everyone to get comfortable in the living room saying she would be back with the treats in a few moments.

The living room is approximately four hundred square feet and holds two floral sectional couches beautifully decorated with large light blue silk throw pillows. There is also a matching loveseat along with big bay windows that overlook the long driveway, and a front yard with a perfectly green manicured lawn.

Once again, Harvey was ahead of Scott, and lead Mike by his arm to the to the sectional closest to the loveseat to sit with him. Unfortunately, his parents chose to sit on the loveseat, right in Harvey’s view. 

Mike mistakes the scowl that is lingering on Harvey’s face as still being directed at Scott. He finds the whole situation amusing, witnessing Harvey being possessive of him sends a thrill down his spine, not to mention other places. Mike squirmed to rearrange his trousers so he could get comfortable, he was grateful that everyone was still caught up with getting settled into their seats to notice his embarrassing position.

Celine, Marcus, and Maggie come in carrying the desserts and start serving everyone.

Gordon and Lily enjoyed the White Chocolate and Almond Amaretto Cheesecake while Harvey and Mike had The Chocolate Fudge cake. After the last person was served, Celine put a piece of the cheesecake on Mike’s dish, taking pity on him because she knew he was too polite to ask for both desserts. Mike gave Celine a grateful smile and thanked her. Harvey looked appalled, but declined to say anything, after all, what did he expect from the vacuum he knew as Mike.

As the night wore on, Harvey became agitated at his parents' public display of affection. Normally Harvey could care less what others did publicly, but he was not ready to deal with this-whatever _it_ is.

His parents could at least have the decency to hold off till they...hell if he knows, talk to him or who knows what. It was understandable that they have not discussed the situation yet, with how things worked out this evening, but still. Dammit, _I need a drink._

Harvey got up and wandered over to the well stocked mini bar. Marcus came up right behind him and grabbed the Macallan. “Bought this with you in mind,” he spoke as he poured Harvey a glass and handed it to him. Harvey swallowed it down right away and handed his glass back to Marcus instantly. “Woah their Harv, take it easy the night is still young,” Marcus beseeched, He purposely followed his brother to the alcohol because he could see that Harvey was brooding and alcohol and a brooding Harvey did not mix well.

“Just give me the damn Drink, Marc,” he only called him Marc when he was pissed. Marcus thought better of it and poured him another shot. Harvey drank that down too but backed off after noticing that Scott was making his way over to Mike, with a low growl he stalked back over to the couch giving Scott a look, not to mess with him. Seeing the feral look on Harvey’s face, Scott backed off immediately knowing right now that was the best decision. Mike could sense the tension rolling off of Harvey by the tons. He lightly put his hand on Harvey’s arm, but Harvey pulled back abruptly and looked away just in time to see his dad lean over and kiss his mother. And that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Comments are welcomed and very much appreciated. :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey loses his temper with his mother and Mike deals with the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning - The first part of this chapter is extremely angsty and Harvey throws some harsh words towards his mom. If this bothers you the 18th paragraph in is when Harvey's rant is over. 
> 
> Thanks so much for your comments and kudos :)

“This is bullshit!! ”Harvey roared standing up abruptly; surprising everyone.

Gasps heard throughout the room.

Mike was stunned not knowing what to do, or if he should do anything in the first place, all he could do is watch the train wreck 

Harvey looked at his dad, with his eyebrows scrunched and his eyes burning with anger and something else. “How can you be with her after all the goddamn shit she put you through, I mean come on Dad!!” Marcus came over trying to tame the situation, but Harvey shot him a look that he knew if he interfered it would be worse, so he stayed out of it reluctantly. 

“Man after man, after man, She made a fool of you, Dad. ”Even worse; not only did she put you through hell and heartbreak, but she subjected us kids to her selfishness. Looking dejected Harvey glanced pleadingly at his father, then turned towards his mother. “Do not even try to deny it, Mother, you know it is true!” Harvey bellowed, looking accusingly at his mom.

Lily’s mouth open and shut a couple of times but she was too stunned to put any thoughts into words. 

Both of his parents were too shocked and guilt-ridden to defend themselves.

Harvey continued to rant, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair, pacing the room, looking at his dad. “I thought you learned your lesson dad, are you a glutton for punishment? Hasn’t she hurt you enough? You deserve better than this!” Harvey’s shoulders slumped a sorrowful expression on his face, looking like he was about to give up. But he was not done; not by a long shot. 

“What’s wrong, Mother? You run out of guys to string along, so you had to draw dad back into the mix? Or are you coming here because you have another guy waiting in the wings? Did Bobby leave you because you cheated on him or are you with dad behind his back? You need to leave dad alone. Haven’t you done enough to him!?”

Harvey's suddenly assaulted with waves of memories; the times he caught his mom cheating with Bobby.

_He was eight years old coming home early from school and excited to share with his mom about the A he got on his essay when he heard voices from the bedroom, so he headed in that direction. Feeling that more enthusiastic, thinking that his dad home from the tour that he did not think to knock; throwing open the door there was his mom in bed with Bobby. His dad's best friend. Staring at them, Harvey had never felt so betrayed in his life and he hurt for his father. He turned around ran out of the room ignoring his mom plea's for him not to say anything to his dad._

_Another memory assaulted him of Bobby slipping out the back door as his dad was coming in the front; his mom greeting his dad as though nothing happened and his dad so trusting never knowing what she was doing behind his back._

_And then another recollection of him, a few years later, pleading with his mom to put an end to her affair after he yet again caught her with Bobby. She promised that she would end it, and she did, but then two weeks later he caught her with a different man._

_The last memory was of the look on his dad's face when he finally caught his wife cheating on him with his best friend. His greyish blue eyes were red; full of devastation and pain; his mouth was turned down into the saddest expression. His dad was immensely crushed. He could tell that his dad wanted to say something to his mom, but he glanced over at Harvey, while he still looked shattered he could see the love his dad had for him; his dad got up went over and placed his hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed then left the house. At sixteen Harvey knew his dad was not coming home to that house again._

Before he knew what was happening an overwhelming burst of rage swept over him like wildfire, and words just spilled out of his mouth. 

He looked directly in his mother eyes, his brown orbs filled with unbridled anger “You're a selfish bitch! You ruined our lives with your infidelity!"

With every fiber of his being, he wanted his mother to feel all the anguish that he endured because of her. Somewhere in the back of his mind, there was a warning signal; he knew he should stop, but he could fight it anymore. And the words he knew would destroy her flew out of his mouth.

"You are a Goddamn Whore!!!” Harvey exploded.

Harvey stumbled backward; shocked and feeling out of control. He could not believe he spoke those words to his mom he suddenly felt an immense loss and an incredible amount of emotional pain. All the feelings he had been enduring for years had come out in just a few minutes, but instead of feeling relief he felt crushed.

Lily physically reacted as though she had been slapped; tears sprang to her hazel eyes. She and Harvey had fought before, but he has never spoken to her as with such bitterness as how he did just now. Gordon put his palm on the side of her face and wiped a tear with his thumb, then stood up to confront Harvey.

Harvey could hear his dad yelling at him, but nothing was registering, a haze came over him like a veil, he felt like he was in a dream or rather a nightmare. He barely registered everyone gathering around his mother. 

Harvey crossed a line he knew he should never have. He could not believe he went that far. Things had spiraled so fast; he had to get out of there, he staggered out of the room, drunk on emotions, unaware of anything else going on. As headed towards the door, he heard Marcus say something to him, and then he also heard Mike calling his name. He felt his world was caving in on him. 

Even though what Harvey said to his mom was atrocious; Mike’s heart still went out to Harvey, he could see the devastation and all the pain that he was feeling written across his features. His mother’s indiscretions did a job on Harvey; truthfully Mike was amazed that the older man had not succumbed to it sooner.

Mike wanted to reach out to Harvey; take him in his arms and make it everything better, but he knew Harvey had too much pride to allow that and he could not fix this. Harvey had to come to terms with this on his own; he hoped that Harvey would finally get some relief from years of letting the anger and torment rule his life.

Mike followed him out; he needed to be there for the older man like Harvey had been there for him a countless number of times. He caught Marcus’s eyes as he was leaving and Marcus just nodded to him to go to his brother. Mike felt somewhat guilty, but there no way in hell he would leave Harvey alone.

He sped up his pace after hearing the engine startup on Harvey’s car, then bolted out the door and shouted stop, but Harvey did not seem to notice him and started to drive away. 

Mike jumped in front of the car, held his hand up and shouted, ”STOP!” Harvey came out of his daze and slammed on the brakes, just missing Mike by a half an inch. 

Trying to catch his breath from the adrenalin rush Mike stood there for a second. _I just jumped in front of a car. Holy shit!_ Then He rushed to the passenger side door; slipped in before Harvey could come to his senses and drive off again.

Once in the vehicle, he expected Harvey to ball him out for pulling the stunt he did, but Harvey seemed, so lost, he stared straight ahead, putting the car in drive and drove. Mike decided the last thing Harvey needed was a lecture; he would give the older man time to process what was going on then go from there.

They had been driving for a few minutes on the main road when Harvey pulled over and parked along the street in front of an establishment with a sign that read _The Publick House,_ which Mike surmised was a bar. Harvey got out of the car and without a word headed for the entrance. Mike quickly followed him; he was surprised that Harvey picked this place out the older man tended to like fancy places. The pub was more Mike's style, but then again in the emotional state Harvey is in he did not think the older man cared as long as he could get a drink. The place itself was not too big, seating about fifteen people at the bar with about three tables and five booths. Being that it was a weekday; the place was not busy; Harvey went and sat at the bar and Mike joined him.

“Founders Dirty Bastard scotch ale, and keep them coming,” Harvey ordered as the bartender approached them, finally acknowledging Mike, Harvey looked at him and waited for him to order. “Just a Pepsi for me” Mike spoke. The bartender gave him a weird look but then went to get their order. Harvey went back to being silent again, Mike noticed a woman at the end of the bar checking Harvey out, he was not worried, not in the state Harvey was in, he would not welcome any company. Mike knew the only reason he was here now was that Harvey had not been in his right mind to stop him from coming with him.

The bartender put down two coasters and placed their drinks on them. 

Mike was surprised that Harvey was drinking ale, but after looking at the menu, he realized why because they served mostly malt beverages and no Macallan whiskey.

Mike knew from experience that this particular beverage was strong enough for Harvey to get plastered. That was the very reason Harvey had chose that brand. 

The same lady down at the end of the bar kept trying to get Harvey’s attention to no avail. She was hooting and hollering and making a scene.

Harvey looked at Mike like he was going to say something, but thought better of it. Mike twirled his straw in his drink checking out the place.

Harvey just stared ahead lost in his thoughts. How could he let things get so out of control? He was supposed to treat this night as he did with business, but instead, he upheaved all his anger on his parents. He called his mother a-, Harvey shook his head no; he was going to think about that, so he tried to think of something else. A renewed amount of shame washed over him when he realized that because he was so focused on his anger toward his parents, especially his mother that he ruined Marcus and Celine’s night. That was never his intention. He felt like he was in a twisted version of the twilight zone. He was in control; he handled situations as they arose, but this emotional stuff was so out of his realm of experience that it had him out of sorts. Harvey Specter did not lose his cool. _Yeah right, I lost all of my cool in one fell swoop._

The bartender came back over with Harvey’s fourth Dirty Bastard and another Pepsi for Mike. Before the bartender could walk away Harvey told him to bring another and continued to swill the drink down, the server grabbed the used glasses and strolled away, then came right back with two ales to tide Harvey over. Harvey clutched the next drink and did the same, and then again. Harvey started to sway a little.

“Heyyyyy, don I know yo-you?” The lady from the end of the bar spoke looking at Harvey as she stumbled over to him.

Harvey either did not hear her or was ignoring her. 

Mike decided to intervene and started to explain to her that it was in her best interest to leave Harvey alone at this time, but the lady would not have it. She proceeded to poke Harvey in the arm with her finger, “I am talking.. you, don’t..don’t... I know you...somewhereee?” She slurred.

Mike thought it was a cheesy pickup line, but then Harvey turned to look at her and Mike realized Harvey recognized the lady poking him. The look on the older man’s face told him Harvey was not delighted to be in her company at all. 

“Irene,” Harvey mumbled distastefully. 

She moved in closer to Harvey and smiled. Mike was amazed she could stand let alone speak. “Harvey I wondered wha...disappointed...not seen you...again." She tried to sound seductive but failed miserably, " I would love of a repeat, she spoke as she leaned in close to Harvey’s ear. I ne..never forg...that night-”

Harvey pulled back abruptly and scowled at her, “Yeah, well I forgot. Harvey said impatiently, hoping the intoxicated lady would move on, but she did not take the hint.

“Oh c’mon Har, Harvey, she slurred, I know you member, let’s go make new mem...memries.” 

Mike could tell that Harvey has zero tolerance right now, so he knew he had to intervene before Harvey blew a gasket. 

“Irene? That’s your name, right?” Mike called to her, but she ignored him; only having eyes for Harvey.

He gently grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away, but she snapped and told him to keep his hands off her. He was at a loss at what to do but knew if he did not act fast, Harvey would probably get himself thrown out of there. Mike was not taking any chances. Harvey would never lay a hand on a lady, not that Mike thought of her like a lady, but he would have no problem telling her off and if that bartender got involved Mike was afraid Harvey could punch him. 

So Mike did something he thought he would never do again with Harvey, especially in public, he wrapped his arms around Harvey and kissed him. Harvey was surprised at first but then slid his tongue into Mike’s warm, inviting mouth, kissing him back unaware of all the people who were watching. 

Harvey deepened the kiss and slid his hand around Mike’s neck and the other around his waist. Mike lost himself in the kiss, he could still taste Harvey through the alcohol, and that was driving him crazy making him want Harvey more, but he was soon pulled out of it when he heard a noise from behind him. He had forgotten where he was and begrudgingly pulled away from Harvey and straightened his shirt. 

Harvey studied Mike's face from his beautiful swollen lips; hair tousled to his glazed over blue eyes, and could not help from blurting out, "God, you are hot, Mike." 

Mike wanted so badly to go back to what they were doing, but as enticing as it was he was not going to do this to Harvey while the man was intoxicated. Plus he would not do this to himself and risk being rejected again when Harvey inevitably sobered up.

Meanwhile, Harvey went back to swilling down another ale and getting ready for another bottle. Mike lost count of how many Harvey had but, one thing he knew for sure was that along with the alcohol he had back at the house he was drunk now. The drunken lady got the message and was back to her end of the bar.

Mike also noticed the bartender, as well as a couple of other patrons, giving them strange looks after they witnessed the kiss. He needed to get Harvey out of the bar, but he never learned to drive, and Harvey was in no condition to be behind the wheel. He did not have the number to Marcus’s house or the address and there was no way he was going to ask Marcus. The last thing the older man needed was anything that reminded him of what happened earlier. Plus Mike realized he did not bring his wallet, so the cab was out of the question and Harvey could barely hold himself up so asking him for fare was as well out of the question. Also, he was not about to go rummaging through Harvey’s pocket looking for money. The way Harvey kissed him Mike would not be surprised if Harvey would take that as an invitation to more, bringing Mike out of his thoughts, he heard Harvey's cell phone ringing. 

“Lo,” Harvey hardly got out before the phone slipped out of his hand and onto the floor. Mike realized Harvey was even more intoxicated than he first thought, so he bent over and picked up the phone and answered it. He could hear the other person calling for Harvey.

“Sorry about that, this is Mike Ross, who is this?”

“Hi Mike, this is Branson Steele."

Mike had met Branson on a few occasions the man was always polite, and very personable he and Harvey went way back.

“Oh, Hi, Branson, sorry, but Harvey is-”

Branson interrupted him, “You do not have to explain, I can tell that Harvey was three sheets to the wind when he answered his phone. We had tentative plans to get together to discuss the case, Harvey said he would get back to me to confirm or not after he ate dinner. When Harvey had not called, I got worried because in all the years I have known Harvey he has always followed through on what he says he will do.

“I cannot get into the details, but something happened to Harvey, and he is not quite himself at the moment. Mike ran his hand through his hair, “Listen, I hate to ask this of you, but do you think you could give Harvey and me a ride, he-”

“There is no need to say more, Mike. Just give me the address where you are at, and I will be there as soon as possible.“

Mike asked the bartender for the address then relayed the name of the bar and address to Branson.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

By the time Branson got there, Harvey was too far gone to know which way was up. Mike struggled to lead him out of the bar and into the back seat of Branson’s black Cadillac Escalade; Harvey slumped back and rested his head against the leather headrest.

“Thanks so much for picking us up, I was at a loss to what to do. Ooh, by the way, this is a sweet ride,” Mike whistled his eyes roaming over the interior as he got in the passenger side.

“No problem Mike,” Branson Chuckled at Mike’s description of his vehicle. “Harvey has saved my keister more times than I can count and I will never be able to pay him back properly, so it is nice to be able to help him out.” 

"Well thank you nonetheless, you are helping me too," Mike smiled, relieved.

“Where to?”

“Um,” Mike was so wrapped up in getting out of there that he had not even thought about that predicament, yet. Mike took a deep breath, “It is not my place to reveal what is going on, but let’s just say it is not a good idea for Harvey to return to his brothers home just yet. I guess if you could take us to the nearest hotel that would be good.”

“Nonsense,” Branson replied, “You can come and stay at my place, we have many guest rooms, it will be no problem.” 

Mike was too polite to refuse, so he agreed; he also was wondering just how big Branson’s place could be having many guest rooms but kept it to himself. They drove along in companionable silence while Mike stared out at the road passing by. Mike was glad Harvey is incapacitated at the moment because he is pretty sure that Harvey would protest about going to Branson’s place.

Branson pulled out his cell and made a call, but Mike barely heard any of the conversations; his mind was only on Harvey.

Branson pulled into a gated driveway that seemed to go on forever; then in the clearing, Mike saw a house. When they came around the bend he took in the full view he realized that was not a house it was a mansion, standing about three stories high. 

The door to the Mansion open up and a man that had to be in his early sixties with white hair with a kind round face that reminded Mike of Santa clause except if Santa was tall and thin. The man stepped out and came to the vehicle as Mike was getting out. 

“Mike this is Andrew, Andrew, Mike, Andrew has already made up a room for Harvey, and he can help you bring him there." Harvey was passed out in the back seat, with the emotional trauma Harvey experienced earlier along with the alcohol he drank at the house and the boatload of scotch ale at the bar, it was no surprise.

Mike and Andrew managed to get him out of the car and up the steps; Branson held open the door for them. 

Mike was relieved that they did not have to go far to get to the room. Harvey only grumbled in protest slightly, but when they settled him on the bed, he rolled over and went back to sleep.

Branson was watching by the door. “We have a room right down the hallway set up for you if you want to retire, I was going to have myself a snack before I head to bed if you care to join me?”

Mike was not ready to go to sleep; his mind was going a mile a minute with everything that has happened. It was hard to believe that only two and a half hours ago everything was fine.

Mike was not one to turn down food, so he complied and started to follow him when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket picking it up he did not recognize the number, but he was familiar with the Boston area code and concluded it is probably Marcus. 

"I need to take this call; I am pretty sure it is Harvey's brother, Marcus. I will only be a minute.” 

"Take your time Branson said, I will send Andrew back in a few minutes to get you."

“Hello?” 

"Oh thank god! Hi, Mike, I hope you don’t mind, but I got your number from Donna. I have been trying to get hold of Harvey all evening, Marcus explained.

“No problem, I understand, but Harvey is not available to talk at this time.”

“Listen, Mike, I know he does not want to talk to me right now but-”

“That is not the reason, Harvey is sleeping right now.”

“Sleeping?" Marcus seemed confused. "I cannot go into it right now, but we stopped at a bar, and I did not think it was a good idea to take Harvey back to your home, especially in his condition. A client/friend of Harvey's offered us a place to stay for the night.”

Marcus sounded like he wanted to object, but in the end, he realized this was what was for the best right now. “Well alright, but have him call me in the morning. I am glad that he is safe somewhere.”

“Will do, have a good night, Marcus.”

“You too.”

Mike hung up and looked down at Harvey; he was handsome even in his drunken state. Mike walked over to the bed to where Harvey slept. Harvey laid on his stomach with the side of his face burrowed into the pillow. Mike gently pushed back the hair that had fallen onto Harvey's face; he leaned over and let his lips brush Harvey’s cheek whispering, _What am I going to do with you?_ The whole circumstance was weird it has always been reversed where Harvey was the one saving Mike’s ass, and now he was the one having to help Harvey.

Mike heard footsteps approaching the room.

“If you would follow me, Michael,” Andrew called. The only one who called him Michael, was his grandmother, he quickly changed his thoughts before he got too emotional. “I will take you to Branson, right this way Andrew spoke as he started walking down the hall.

As they rounded the corner Andrew open the door that led into the den; a large room with brown leather couch and a loveseat with a coffee table in front of both.

“Come and sit over here, Mike” Branson called from the couch, gesturing to the loveseat.

“Do you like sandwiches, Mike?” Branson asked.

“Yes, I pretty much like anything.” Mike chuckled.

“Great.”

"Roast beef, ham or turkey?” Andrew intervened.

"Roast beef, please."

“I hope you do not mind kaiser rolls? I am afraid the family ate all the other choices before they headed to go sailing in Cape Cod and Andrew has not had time to replenish." Branson chuckled.

“No problem.”

“Would you like cheese, sir?” Andrew asked.

“Please call me Mike and I would Colby jack if you have it?” 

“Yes, we do. Very well, if that will be all, I will get on your sandwiches right now,” Andrew voiced.

Andrew Came back in a few moments later with a cart full of an assorted A&W bottled soda’s with glasses, and an ice bucket, he stopped in front of Mike. Mike perused the wide selection as Alex waited patiently to serve him. Root beer, please?"

“Would you like a cup and some ice?”

If it would be okay with you, I prefer to drink it out of the bottle?”

Very well indeed. 

“Thanks,” Andrew.

Andrew smiled, “Your welcome.”

“The usual Andrew,” Branson spoke.

"Very well I will be right back in with the sandwiches," Andrew said as he left.

Andrew returned with sandwiches, condiments along with pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and a selection of chips.

Mike eyed the choices this is what he would call a meal. _If this is a snack, I can only imagine what they serve for dinner._

After serving everyone, Andrew excused himself, but Branson intervened, “Sit down Andrew; I know this is late for you to be serving and I appreciate it, but you need to rest, grab a sandwich and take a load off of your feet.”

“Yes, please do.” Mike joined in.

“No thank you as far the sandwich is concerned, The missus and I had quite the large meal earlier, and I am afraid I am sated,” Andrew spoke as he sat down on the couch next to Branson. “I cannot stay too long the Sylvia is expecting me back soon.”

Andrew’s wife also worked for the Steele's as a maid; they both traveled with them wherever they went. Their permanent residence was in New York where they lived in a cottage on Branson's property.

Mike was still hungry, so he decided to make a sandwich as he went to get up Andrew asked him to sit down, but Mike intervened, "Sit back down please, I can serve myself," Mike smiled. Andrew looked reluctant, but appeased the young man and settled back down in his seat.

After eating the next sandwich Mike let out an unexpected loud yawn, his face turned red, 

“So sorry I had not realized how tired I am."

“From the little, you shared with me earlier I am not surprised you are tired. As I told you before, Andrew has a room ready for you."

“I guess I should go to bed now," Mike stood up.

“Andrew, you can go now; have a good night, Branson told the butler. I will show Mike to his room; it is on my way.”

“Thank Mr. Steele.”

“No matter how many times I tell you that it is okay to call me Branson at all times you are still are stubborn in front of company,” Branson Chuckled as he waved him off to bed.

Branson stood up from the couch, and Mike followed him down a long hallway they stopped at a mahogany door and went in. “This is your room. I hope it is to your liking."

“Right now a pillow on the floor would be to my liking, Mike joked.

Mike’s eyes regarded the king-sized bed with two huge pillows and a down comforter he was in heaven. The air conditioner in the house was at a perfect setting for him to enjoy the quilt, he looked forward to it.

“Are you all set?” Branson asked, ”Traditionally Andrew serves breakfast at eight am on the dot, but he will leave the food in the warmer if you are not present at that time. If you want anything special, let me know, and I will leave a note.”

"I am not picky, I usually like Eggs, bacon, toast that kind of stuff."

“Great, Andrew makes those breakfast items he also makes spectacular omelets, that is his specialty. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. Oh, by the way, the door to the right is a full bathroom, it has fresh towels and all the accessories you need to take a shower or a bath, please feel free to use it."

“Thank you. I have a date with a pillow, that is all I need right now.” Mike teased. 

“Okay then, I will see you in the morning. I don't have to worry about Harvey. He looked dead to the world, but I will check on him just in case on the way to my room," Branson offered.

Branson noticed a look between sadness and longing on Mike’s face, “Sorry, you can tell me to be quiet if you feel I am intruding, if I may? I can tell you have some feelings of the romantic nature towards Harvey; the proof is written all over your face."

Mike was surprised by Branson’s statement and was pleased that he did not judge him for liking another man. Mike blew out a puff of air and ran a hand through his hair anxiously. Branson had an effect on him that made him want to blab all the details. He was happy to have someone unbiased to talk to about his feelings for Harvey.

“I am not sure he feels the same way, it is complicated. I mean he has some attraction towards me, but I have no idea how much.” This trip he has been running hot and cold. It makes me confused as of where we stand or if we stand at all."

"Well, if it is any indication on how much he talks about you since he met you, I would say he likes you a lot, and don't worry nothing you say will go past this room."

Mike never thought twice about it, he had a gut feeling that Branson was an honorable man. Mike was not sure what else to say.

"Marcus said the same thing about Harvey; that he talks about me all the time to him." Mike blushed.

"Remember to be patient with Harvey, he is a prideful man, and not trusting as far as relationships are concerned.

Mike let out another yawn.

“Alright, I will let you go now it looks like you are about to pass out,” Branson spoke as he was heading out of the room shutting the door.

“Goodnight Branson, thanks for everything,” Mike said heading for the bed.

Mike's mind drifted to Harvey in the other room he wished he could be in there with him to comfort him.

Mike proceeded to undress down to his boxers and looked down at himself. Great, that’s all I need, Mike mumbled to himself. Thoughts of Harvey always aroused him, but this was ridiculous. _Maybe I should take a shower, a cold one._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my story. Comments and kudos are appreciated.
> 
> Follow me on [TUMBLR](https://lisajeannn.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey wakes up and has to figure out where he is at while Mike gets a much-needed opportunity to vent about Harvey and how he feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for your comments, and kudos they inspire me to write more and are very much appreciated! :)
> 
> Just for your information I check regularly and clean up my mistakes as I notice them. I also fixed a inconsistency with Branson in chapter three so it flows right with the story.

Harvey woke up with the worst taste in his mouth; his head was killing him, he had the same clothes he had on last night, and he is in desperate need of water. He slowly opened one eye and shut it right away; the sun was too intense for him. He did not remember his room being so bright; opening both eyes this time and squinting he noticed something was off but was not sure what it was yet. He pushed the comforter off of him and swung his legs off the bed. _He could have sworn the bed was lower than it is._ He looked around taking in the view that surrounded him and realized he is _not_ at his brother's house. _Where the hell am I!?!_

Everything started flooding back to Harvey, kind of. He remembered being at Marcus’s and that his mom and dad were there, then blowing up and calling his mom- still not going there. He left...then-, _God damn it, Mike, what the hell was he thinking of jumping in front of the car like that._ He would have to speak to Mike about that topic. _Crazy,_ Harvey cringed thinking about it.

Further, he recalled going to the bar and vaguely recollected a woman hitting on him, then Mike kissing him; Harvey touched his lips in remembrance, but the sharp throbbing pain in his head jarred him out of the memory. He still was not sure where he is at, but knew he needed to find a bathroom and hopefully some Tylenol.

The clock read twelve thirty, as Harvey was tip-toeing it dawned on him the sun doesn't shine that bright at twelve thirty in the morning. _How the hell did he sleep till this late?_ He must have consumed a large amount of alcohol last night, the evidence of how his head throbbed assured him he did. Harvey walked towards the door and opened it, no bathroom there; he closed the door to the walk-in closet then heading over to the second door and opened that one and was pleased he did not have to look any further for the bathroom. After Harvey was done relieving himself and getting a drink of water he looks in the mirror his clothes are wrinkled, but he still looks good, Harvey would have chuckled if it did not disturb his head.

Now he has to figure out where he is at; what happened to Mike, and where he could find something to relieve his headache. He headed towards the only door left, knowing it had to be the exit he opened the door then stepped out looking back and forth. The place was huge if the hallways were any indication of it; the shorter trip was to go left, so he took it. He could observe what appeared to be the main entrance as he made his way down the hall; he notices some pictures on the wall of a family and immediately recognizes Branson. He could not for the life of him figure out how he could have ended up here, on top of that Harvey is displeased; he had known Branson for a prolonged amount of time, but it did not change the fact that Branson is still his client, and Harvey liked to maintain a resemblance of professionalism.

As Harvey continued down the hall, he hears laughter coming from a room not too far from his location. The mystery of Mike's whereabouts is solved, he could tell his laugh anywhere. Harvey walks over to the open door, where he hears the noise from and goes through; all the noise stops abruptly. They turned and looked at him and before anyone has a chance to speak Harvey spoke up.

Harvey's throat is hoarse from lack of use, “Tylenol, please, no talking yet.” Andrew nodded and left in pursuit of the pain reliever. 

Mike hardly looked at Harvey his face was full of guilt and anxiety. Andrew came back with a tall glass of water and some Tylenol and handed them to Harvey.

After Harvey finished taking the pills he sits down on the nearest chair; in the room, he assumes is the den.

Branson finally spoke up, but kept his tone down, “We finished lunch twenty minutes ago, but Andrew can make you a hamburger or bring some buffalo chicken salad and Keiser roll."

Harvey held his hand up, clearing his throat again, "The last thing I can think about is eating right now. Thank you, maybe later.” 

“If you change your mind let me or Andrew know and it will be taken care of,” Branson replied.

Everyone seemed to be at a loss for words, but then Branson spoke again.

“I hope the bed was to your liking. Mike went in earlier to check on you, but you were still dead to the world, and we figured it would be better to let you sleep.”

Harvey mumbled thanks. He wants to get Mike alone, so he could explain to him what the hell happened last night that he ended up at his clients' house. Branson seems to read Harvey’s mind and excused him and Andrew from the room; letting them know he would check on him and Mike later and if they needed anything to bring it to either his or Andrews' attention.

Harvey wasted no time once Branson and Andrew were out of the room and the door is closed, “You want to tell me why the hell I am sleeping at my client’s home?” He winced at the pitch of his voice, his head still ached, but he could feel the Tylenol kicking in quickly.

Mike had been staring at him for a few minutes not knowing where to start until Harvey’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Well?” Harvey raised his eyebrows while staring at Mike impatiently.

"You see, um, -,” Mike tried clearing his head.

Then Mike realized this is complete bullshit Harvey put him in that position last night. Okay, that was not entirely true, Mike jumped into Harvey’s vehicle uninvited, but still, someone had to look out for Harvey, he was in no shape to be by himself.

“Last night you were too drunk to drive and I knew it was not a good idea at the time to take you back to your brother's house, so-"

“You could have taken me to a hotel, anywhere other than here, hell I would have slept in the car.” Harvey interrupted.

“Let me finish Harvey,” Mike huffed out irritatingly. “As I was saying, going to your brothers' house was out of the question besides I did not know the number, and I had no money on me and Branson offered-”

Harvey interrupted again, ”You know damn well that I have money and you could have used it.”

“Sorry Harvey, but there was no way-,” Mike felt a surge of anger going through him, “You know what Harvey? His voice raised in outrage.” I should not have to defend myself,” Mike’s voice continued to rise. “I was there making sure that you were taken care of!”

Harvey rolled his eyes, “If I recall right I did not ask you to come along with me you invited yourself by way of foolishness, Mike. That reminds me what the hell were you thinking of jumping in front of a moving vehicle?" Before Mike could answer Harvey continued, "That was a dangerous move, Mike," Harvey huffed frustratingly, pacing back and forth. "if you haven't noticed I am a big boy: I can take care of myself.” Harvey reprimanded sarcastically, grateful the Tylenol finally kicked in because otherwise, his head would be killing him by this point. 

"I call bull shit Harvey!” Again I am sorry, but there was no way in hell was I going to let you leave there by yourself. You were in no shape to go out on your own, so I will not apologize for that!" 

Mike had been pacing pausing for a moment, as he thought about risking injury, releasing the breath he had not realized he was holding; scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, "Yeah," I know jumping in front of the car was not the brightest idea." But the more he thought about it his embarrassment quickly turned back into anger. He started pacing back and forth running his hand over his forehead up to his hair pushing it back furiously, his blue eyes blazing adding insistently, "I would do it again in a heartbeat if the situation were to arise anew.” 

As Harvey observed him, he could not help to notice that Mike being authoritative is incredibly hot. Intense blue eyes, flushed cheeks that added to attractiveness, lips glistening. Harvey could imagine-, he shook his head he needed to push those thoughts away. _Far away as possible._

“I would have been fine Mike,” Harvey denied.

“Geeze, Harvey will stop with the bullshit, we both know you weren’t _fine.”_

Harvey was getting ready to argue again, but Mike interrupted.

“Whether you like to admit it, you needed me, and there was no way I would have let you down, no way.” Mike repeated adamantly shaking his head.”

Harvey still seemed to be resistant, Mike stopped pacing and walked in front of him.

“Dammit Harvey, will you listen to me for a moment?" Mike dropped to his knees in defeat, looking up at Harvey, I lo….care about you, you pig-headed fool, please let me, he bowed his head in weariness.”

Harvey looked down at Mike with sad brown eyes, but still trying to maintain his composure. He is still feeling the emotional effects of yesterday, and he wants nothing more than to take Mike into his arms and hold onto him, but he is still resisting the younger man. He had just proven back at the house how screwed up he is. Mike does not need this, but Harvey’s traitorous mind betrayed him and drifted back to the kiss last night everything else was fuzzy, but that kiss penetrated the fog. How he longed to taste those desirable lips again, run his hands through the silky hairs on the nape of Mike’s neck. Harvey abruptly pulled himself out of his thoughts he needed to change the subject.

Going back to the original question, Harvey asked exhaustingly, face drawn. “How did we end up here, Mike?” 

That was a double entendre, but Mike knew the answer Harvey was asking.

Mike stood back up and continued pacing, "Branson called you, but you were too intoxicated to hold your phone it slipped out of your hand and dropped onto the floor. I picked up the phone and answered it, in case it was important. Branson already knew you were drunk by your voice, and I did not tell him what happened, but I told him we needed a ride and the rest is history.” 

Harvey is at a crossroad on what to do, part of him wanted to go back to his brothers' house and make things right, but on the other hand, he was not ready. Going back to the house right now he knew, without a doubt, would make things worse. Harvey needed some time to think about things. Thank God the wedding was not till Saturday that still gave him six more days. Deciding he needed to talk to his brother he turned to Mike. “I need to call Marcus,” Harvey stated as he checked his pockets.

Mike let out a deep breath. _I just said I cared out loud to Harvey, hell, I almost told him I loved him!_ He felt like he is going to have a panic attack. It was not that he had a problem sharing his feelings, but this is _Harvey;_ he knew the topic would scare the older man away. 

“I had your phone last night it is on the coffee table by the bed.“

“I will be back in a while, Harvey said as he headed towards the door.”

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

Harvey has changed considerably since Mike first met him, but he knew the man struggled with intimacy issues and still closed himself off if the situation turned too personal. The last thing he wanted to do was to push Harvey away. Of course, now was not the right time to pursue the man, but the other night Harvey opened a door, and Mike was going to keep his foot in it and come hell or high water he would be damned before he let that entrance seal shut. 

Mike loved Harvey, and with everything, in him, he was determined to make it work between them, he had to be patient though.

There was a soft knock on the door. 

“Come in," Mike instructed.

“Sorry to interrupt-,” Branson started noticing that Harvey was not there.

Regarding the look on Branson’s face, Mike spoke up. “He went to his room to use the phone.”

"Ah.” After interpreting Mikes' frazzled look Branson went out on a limb, “Is there something you would like to discuss?”

Mike breathed out heavily pursing his lips as he looked up at Branson. “I do not know where to begin.” 

He was clearly struggling with his feelings. “Um, Harvey is not happy that I took him here last night because you are his client.”

“I suspected as much, Harvey has always been very professional and as equally stubborn,” Branson chuckled. 

“You got that right,” Mike laughed, feeling a little lighter, but he still could not keep his emotions at bay, his eyes got glossy, “Sorry.” Mike blurted out, “The whole situation has been stressful; Harvey has been on edge, and with the kissing and then everything just took off from there he took my-," Mike looked Mortified. Branson smiled and waved him off signaling for him to go on.

Mike composed himself and continued, “ Things between Harvey and I heated up quickly; the situation brought up a lot of feelings I was doing my best to avoid up until then-" Mike got up and paced the floor, and the words just began to spill out of his mouth.

“You know, when I first met Harvey I was instantly attracted to him I mean, look at him, who wouldn’t be? Mike beamed. Furthermore, the way he handled himself and back then he was extremely cocky which could be off-putting, but there was something about him that had me from the first look-I felt it right away-, Mike stopped realizing what he insinuated about anyone being attracted, Harvey, and he backtracked, “Well I mean if you are into guys, Mike swallowed.

Branson let out a hearty laugh it took him a bit to catch his breath, “So sorry Mike for laughing, I am not attracted to men, but my oldest son Mason is gay, and I totally understand the awkwardness with the situation, "Please continue..."

Mike relaxed more, "where was I? “Okay, right, we began to work together, and he pulled no punches; it was difficult at times, and he worked me to the bone and then some. At times I resented him wanted to pull my teeth out rather than deal with him, but the same thing that made me resent him made me that more attracted to him and over time I got to see what made Harvey tick. He is one of the most loyal people I ever met and those lucky enough to get close to him have benefited because he would go from hell and back to help and also protect them. I had the privilege to witnessed what was underneath all that bravado, a genuinely good guy that holds this shield in front of him to block out the world from hurting him. We spend many hours together and I…” Mike stopped.

Branson finished for him, “You fell in love with him?”

“Yeah,” Mike looked down at Branson from where he was standing. ”But I never even thought of pursuing it, I mean he is Harvey and my boss, so I ended up getting with Rachel and she is a great gal, but I never fell out of love with Harvey. Now Rachel is with Logan, and I am single and...God, I want him." Mike ran his hand through his hair causing his short strands to stick up all over the place.

“So what is making you feel down?”

“In the middle of fighting I almost told Harvey I loved him, but I caught myself and said I cared about him instead, but He knew it was more than just caring as a friend. If I had told Harvey I loved him he would run the other direction and even though I said I cared, he never said anything back, he just changed the subject." 

Mike continued, “Seeing Harvey in all this pain, tears me up inside. I want to fix this. but I know I can’t, and even if I could, Harvey would never let me." Mike wiped his eyes, and Branson handed him some tissues. "Harvey's given meaning to my life. and in so many ways he has helped me change; before he entered my life, I was wondering around aimlessly screwing up constantly I need to be there for him like he has been there for me."

“I apologize for breaking down in front of you; I always had my grammy to discuss these things with, but she is gone now. I know it has been over a year, but I still miss her, and there is no way I would have this discussion with Rachel," Mike shook his head. He had not realized how much everything was affecting him and he was emotionally exhausted.

“It is okay,” Branson said as he tenderly put his hand on Mike’s shoulder,“I am sorry for your loss of a grandmother and confidant; I tell everything to Martha, I cannot imagine not having her to talk too.” Branson gently squeezed his shoulder. “We all need someone to confide in, and you are only human, and it sounds like you been through a lot lately, so don’t fret about it. Many people have been there for me throughout the years, so it is nice to be able to do the same for you.” Branson said with a small reassuring smile. 

Mike gave Branson a grateful smile.

There was something about Branson that put him at ease, the more he got to know him the more Mike liked him. 

“Do you like Chess, Mike?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Branson patted Mike’s arm as he moved away over to a magnificent mahogany chest that took up the whole corner of the room and brought out the game. Branson cocked his eyebrow, "You up for a challenge, Mike?

Mike laughed, “Bring in on!”

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

“Harvey!” He heard his brother shout as he heard what sounded like a sliding glass door shutting.”

“Hell Marcus, not so damn loud,” Harvey cringed as he proceeded to hold the phone away from his ear.

“Yeah, well I called you five times last night, Mike insinuated that you had too much to drink and said he would have you call me in the morning, it is after one o'clock now, what did you expect?”

"Sorry about that,” Harvey mumbled, guiltily. To tell the truth; Harvey's especially surprised that his brother is not yelling at him further because of the stunt he pulled the night before after all this was supposed to be a happy occasion for him. 

“Listen, Marcus, I hate to do this, but I am not ready to come back there yet, I need a couple of days.”

Marcus huffed, “Harvey, I cannot say I am happy about what is going on, and the way you treated mom was..., but at the same time I come to understand that what mom has done in the past really hurt you, so as much as I want you back here, I accept that you need more time."

Harvey wanted to disagree about what Marcus said about the past, but he bit his tongue to keep from speaking up. “Two nights is plenty of time, thanks Marcus for understanding.”

“No problem Harv, just take care of you, and I will hold the fort down on the homefront, say hi to Mike for me,” Marcus said before hanging up.

Harvey felt a little better knowing that was one thing out of the way now he just needed to figure out where he and Mike would stay. He thought back to the look on the younger mans' features when he remained silent after Mike said he cared. Mike looked unsettled that Harvey changed the subject. Harvey was in no way going to broach that topic, it was taking everything in him to stay away, but he was continuously messing up.

First Scott’s actions towards Mike were bringing out the worst in him, and then last night the alcohol made him reckless. Harvey has never felt so out of control in his life, but he would pull it together, he had too, _he was Harvey Specter, God dammit!_

Harvey shoved his phone in his pocket and made his way back to the den; he figured they could stay in the Copley Square hotel for the next two nights. 

Harvey stepped into the room, Mike and Branson are playing chess, the older man did not look like he was faring well. “I should have warned you, Harvey said with pride in his voice, ”Mike is a genius, you never stood a chance," he chuckled.

"Yes, I am beginning to realize this Branson laughed, he is kicking my hiney."

Mike looked up at Harvey his eyes sparkling blue; whenever Harvey praised him, he could not help to be pleased.

Harvey was going to ask to have a second with Mike, but since things were already less than professional, he decided it was okay to have the conversation in front of Branson.

Harvey addressed Mike, “I spoke to Marcus and decided two more nights away would be best under the circumstances. I will book a suite at the Copley Square Hotel that has two bedrooms. 

“Harvey, there will be no need for that I have plenty of room here at this estate, and I am particularly fond of Mike as well as you. Branson winked at Harvey in a friendly manner. "Plus, we will have time to discuss how we want to move forward with the case.”

“Honestly, Branson, it is not a problem, I do not want to wear out our welcome and impose on you,” Harvey retorted

"That is nonsense, Harvey, I just got done telling you I like having you both around.”

Harvey looked at Mike, and he could tell Mike was at ease and wanted to stay, what the hell he already stepped out of bounds so what's the difference staying for a couple more days. 

“Okay, deal, but let me know if you get tired of us."

Just then the door flew open, and a tall handsome man with dark auburn hair and light green eyes, resembling Branson came in.

“Hi Dad," the man said as he engulfed Branson in a bear hug. “I missed you!"

“Same here son it is great to see you, where is Ryan?”

“He is bringing the bags in from the car. I told him I would get mine later. I had to see you.”

“Oh, where are my manners,” Branson spoke up.

“His son looked at him confused, but then noticed Harvey and Mike.”

"You already met Harvey a few times," Harvey stepped forward and shook the man's hand. “Good to see you, again, Mason."

“Likewise," Mason responded back.

“This young man is, Micheal Ross, this is Mason," They shook hands and separated; Mike told Mason to call him Mike.

“Mike beat me in a round of chess.”

Mason looked surprised and extremely impressed.

“Dad. looks like you're losing your edge," Mason teased.

A tall, muscular man with blonde hair and brown eyes came bustling into the room. He reminded Mike of Brad pit except his eyes were brown.

Mason looked at Ryan waiting for an explanation.

“Just give me a moment to catch my breath…, Okay, I brought both of bags to the room."

Mason walked towards Ryan cupping his cheek and giving him a soft kiss on his lips, “You did not have to do that, I told you I would get it later.” Mason explained softly.

I know you have not seen your dad in a long time and did not want you to have to bother with the bags, Ryan kissed him back.

“Alright...break it up, Branson teased, “Come over here and give your, second, dad a hug."

Branson and Ryan hugged, then Branson introduced him to Harvey and Mike.

"Dad, it has been a long drive from Bangor, Ryan and I would like to freshen up if that is okay with you? After all, we will be here for a week, so we have a lot of time to catch up."

“Go, take care of what you need too, your mother, Don, Christine, Linda, and Serena are not due till after one pm tomorrow, so it will just be five of us tonight. Then we can sit down and catch up before dinner.” Branson waved them off.

“What about John?”

"Delia banged her leg at work, and it is swelling, so since she is pregnant with a history of water retention on her side of the family he wants her to rest for forty-eight hours if all is well after that John will fly here then."

“Is Delia joining him?”

“No, she had previous plans with her mother.”

"Alright, is Andrew and Sylvia going to join us?"

"Yes, they should be joining us.”

“Okay Dad, be back in a few.”

“Nice to meet you both, ”Ryan said as both he and Mason exited the room.

Harvey turned and looked at Branson, “We can still-”

“Don’t even go there, Harvey.” Branson gave Harvey an amused smile.

“Well then, let us catch up on business, shall we?”

“Sure, follow me to my office,” Branson directed.

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

 

After the business was settled, for the time being, Harvey, Mike, and Branson headed back to the Den.

Andrew came in a few minutes later announcing dinner would be served in a half an hour and asked if they would like a before dinner drink.

Harvey usually never turned down a before dinner drink, but he still was not back up to par yet, so he stuck to Iced Tea. 

Mike enjoyed a single malt scotch.

They drank their drinks then made their way to the formal dining room. Mason and Ryan were already seated, deep into conversation. 

Andrew came in with the next round of drinks, followed by Sylvia with some fresh warm Challah bread, butter and a good size bowl of artichoke dip then headed back to the kitchen; Mike was in heaven.

A few minutes later Andrew returned with Matzo ball soup and some extra Challah bread.

Everyone helped themselves to the appetizers. The conversation was light, and they all enjoyed themselves. 

“This is great Mike said to Andrew in between bites as the older man headed off with his wife to get the main course.

Andrew returned with brisket, while Sylvia carried the latkes and sour cream.

Branson motioned for both Andrew and Sylvia to sit down.

Mike never had latkes, and he is pleasantly surprised. 

Branson smiled as he noticed everyone was enjoying their meal. He knew Harvey liked Jewish food but was not sure about Mike, but the way the young man was devouring the food he had no worries there.

“What, do I have food on my face?” Mike said as he noticed Harvey staring at him.

Harvey could not help himself from looking; the way Mike enjoyed his meal was, well, a turn on, not that Harvey would ever admit to that. He savored every piece and looked like he was going to have an orgasm. Harvey was pretty sure that they coined the phrase, 'food porn' from watching Mike eat because he makes his food look exceptionally appetizing.

"Just eat your food,” Harvey said, being caught off guard he turned quickly.

“Dad, you look like you are about to fall asleep in your plate," Mason teased.

“Yesterday was a long day, and this morning your mom called me earlier than usual because they were heading to the boat early for a sight-seeing trip and there would be no signal for the cell. I’m afraid that I won’t be a great host, I will be retiring early tonight," Branson responded, looking at Harvey and Mike.

“Don’t worry about us, Harvey spoke up we will be fine, Branson, get your sleep.”

“Ryan and I were debating on going out tonight to hit a nightclub with our friend, Tommy who owns the club, but since you are heading to bed early, dad, it is settled we are going. Mason turned and looked at Harvey, and Mike, you two are welcome to come along if you want?”

Ryan chimed in, "He just opened the doors tonight. It's a gay nightclub in Boston called the _Hot Spot._ Tommy promised it is a great place to dance and have a good time. 

Harvey looked hesitant, but with the excited little boy look on Mike’s face, Harvey could not resist, besides there was no way in hell was he going to let him go there without him. With a pretty boy like Mike. He could only imagine all the men that would be lining up to take him home. Harvey needed to protect him. _Yeah, right, keep telling yourself that is the only reason._

“That sounds great,” Harvey spoke, What time are we heading out?”

Mike was surprised that Harvey agreed, he was also very excited, but tried his best to hide it.

Well, it is a little after seven now we could leave here at nine; stop at _Jake’s tavern_ for a couple of drinks then head over to _The Hot Spot_ at about ten thirty, how does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me. I need to go to grab a cab to J. Hilburn's to purchase some clothes for me and Mike. We need clothes for the club as well as the next couple of days." Harvey surmised.

Mike went to say something, but Harvey held his hand up, 

“As I told you before. I brought you along, I pay.”

“Mike was not going to argue.”

Branson spoke up, “Mike gave me the keys, and I had a tow truck tow it here last night.” 

“How much do I owe you?” Harvey inquired.

“Please do not worry about it with all the work you are doing for me, consider this part of the deal.”

Harvey let it go at that for right now.

"Well, boys, I will be heading to bed, it has been quite a pleasure to have dinner with all of you," Branson stood up and headed out of the room.

Everyone said their good nights to him. 

"Mike and I need to get on the road, to get to the club on time," Harvey said poking Mike to get his attention off the food.

“Huh? Oh yeah,” Mike reluctantly pulled away from his plate and followed Harvey.

Harvey turned around facing Mason and Ryan, “In case we are late making it back here give us the name, again, of the bar we will be going to first?” They exchanged info, and Mike and Harvey were on there way.

Mike was ecstatic that Harvey would be joining them for a night out, but he caught the not-so-thrilled look on Harvey’s face when they asked them if they wanted to join earlier. As much as he wanted the company of the older man, he had a suspicion Harvey was going to babysit him.

"Harvey, you do not need to come with us if you don't want to." Mike wanted to mention that if Harvey is not feeling well, but he knows how Harvey feels about him sharing personal stuff, "I will be fine on my own with these two gentlemen.”

Harvey smirked, “When do I do anything I do not want to do?” 

Mike knew that to be true, but this whole trip had Harvey off-kilter, and the man was acting out of character, but Mike did not want to put extra stress on Harvey by arguing, so decided to drop it. Plus the older man needed to loosen up and have a good time.

Mike was elated about spending time with Harvey at the club but nervous at the same time about what the night would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are very much appreciated! :)
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**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Comments are really appreciated. :)


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